Published on 24.07.2018 at 18h21 by APA News
The defense lawyers of the former commander of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel faction, Dominic Ongwen, want the International Criminal Court (ICC) to acquit him of at least some of the charges levied against him.According to an ICC statement released on Tuesday, Krispus Ayena Odongo, Ongwen's lead lawyer, made a request to Trial Chamber IX to allow him to file a no case to answer and judgment for acquittal motion.
Odongo made the request because the ICC's founding law, the Rome Statute, does not have a specific provision allowing such a motion, and he has to ask the trial chamber for leave to file such a motion.
The trial of Ongwen is now in the defense phase after the prosecution and victims concluded presenting their cases.
The prosecution formally notified Trial Chamber IX on April 13th they had finished presenting their evidence after the last of 69 prosecution witnesses had testified.
The last witness for victims testified on May 24.
In his request, Odongo identified two categories of reasons for filing a no case to answer and judgment for acquittal motion.
He said these would not be the only reasons he would provide the chamber if he is allowed to file them.
"The time alone saved through such a procedure would compensate the amount of time taken to defend against all the 70 counts against Mr Ongwen," said Odongo.
Ongwen faces 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity which he allegedly committed in northern Uganda between July 1st, 2002 and December 31st, 2005.
The charges against Ongwen include attacks on four camps for internally displaced people (IDP), sex crimes, and conscripting child soldiers.
He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
In his application, Odongo has argued the court should dismiss the 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that Ongwen has been charged with for his alleged involvement in an October 10th, 2003 LRA attack on the Pajule IDP camp.
Odongo said prosecution had withdrawn witnesses who were supposed to back-up claims that Ongwen was involved in planning and implementing the attack on Pajule.
He also questioned whether the prosecution had presented evidence that Ongwen was a senior commander in the LRA.
Odongo said the prosecution withdrew eight witnesses from testifying, two of whom Odongo said had been in the LRA longer than Ongwen.
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