Judgment in the Appeal of Dominic Ongwen at the International Criminal Court

Ned Price, Department Spokesperson

The United States welcomes the International Criminal Court (ICC) judgment affirming the conviction of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Dominic Ongwen for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  The conclusion of Ongwen’s appeal, filed against the February 2021 verdict that sentenced him to a 25-year prison term, confirms his culpability for violence resulting in the horrific and irreversible destruction of thousands of lives and scars upon multiple generations.  This is the ICC’s first appeals judgment related to crimes committed in Uganda.

For the thousands of abducted young women and girls subjected to horrific sexual violence, torture, and forced labor in the Lord’s Resistance Army, and all the victims and survivors of LRA violence and abuse, we hope this judgment demonstrates that justice must and will be done.

The United States played a key role in ensuring the transfer of Dominic Ongwen to the ICC, and we continue to offer a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of Joseph Kony, founding leader of the LRA.  Anyone with information about his whereabouts is encouraged to email wcrp@state.gov or send a WhatsApp message to +1-202-975-5468; your identity will remain confidential.