A defence lawyer for Dominic Ongwen, the former Lords Resistance Army commander on Tuesday argued before the International Criminal Court that Ongwen feared to escape from the rebels because he believed Joseph Kony, the rebel leader would know beforehand about the planned escape and kill him.
Ongwen is facing 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands.
A pre- trial chamber is holding a confirmation of charges hearing against Ongwen to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to believe that he committed the crimes he is accused of.
On Tuesday Ongwen’s defence lawyer, Michelle Oliel told the hearing that if Ongwen had escaped his family, his village and Ongwen himself risked being killed by the LRA.
The prosecution had at the beginning of the hearing argued that while Ogwen was abducted as a minor, he should have escaped when he became an adult.
The LRA, a mystic rebel group instilled fear in those it abducted by making them commit heinous crimes and making them believe that if they attempted to escape, the rebels group’s leader, Joseph Kony would know. Attempted escape from the rebels was severely punished, sometimes with death.
Ongwen’s lawyer further argued that the circumstances under which Ongwen grew into an adult made his mind to be controlled by Kony.
The confirmation of charges hearing began last week and is expected to end in 60 days when the judges make a ruling on whether or not Ogwen can be committed to trial for the crimes he is alleged to have committed.
Michelle Oliel also claimed that most of the offenses allegedly perpetuated by Ongwen were done without his will since his mind was controlled by Kony. To that effect, she asked court not to hold Ongwen criminally liable for any atrocities committed in Northern Uganda and set him free.
