Our Executive Director, Travis Rejman recently wrote this editorial in the Huffington Post calling for the right justice to be considered in the case against Dominic Ongwen.
Ongwen has received international attention because of his role as a high-ranking soldier in Joseph Kony’s Lords Resistance Army. To be sure, his crimes against humanity are not to be debated – as a leader within the LRA, Ongwen’s actions were responsible for thousands of children and their families being killed, maimed and displaced. As Travis penned in his piece:
[quote]Major General Ongwen’s roles in these atrocities is not in question. Demanding justice is not in question. The meaning of justice is.”[/quote]
Because Travis co-authored the Huffington story with our longtime partner in Uganda, the retired Reverend Baker Ochola, the proper context was able to be provided on the nuanced meaning of what justice would be in this case, especially to those in the communities most impacted by Ongwen’s actions. To many in these communities, Ongwen first and foremost was a victim himself in being abducted into the LRA as a child soldier.
The overwhelming call, especially by religious leaders in those communities, points to the desire for Dominic Ongwen to be returned to his homeland, where he can face justice at the hands of those most informed to determine what this will look like. To them, a faraway international court like the ICC is not the proper authority to prosecute and punish a former member of their own community. Read on for the full story at this link.
Update: Since the publication of the Rejman/Ochola piece in January, the International Criminal Court ruled that it would be holding over Dominic Ongwen for full trial at the Hague. We will continue to follow this story.
