indictments directly contradict the Ugandan Parliament's blanket amnesty which has led to the demobilisation and reintegration of tens of thousands of rebels. Family members, including his wife Florence Ayot and his brother Charles Ojar also pleaded for Ongwen not to be tried at the ICC. Victims, however, have expressed hope in the ICC trial, claiming that without it there would be no justice in their lifetime for the grave violations they had endured during the conflict. Others have pointed to the failure of the Uganda government to protect Ongwen from abduction when he was a child. Sentence On 4 February 2021, in a judgment of 1077 pages, Ongwen was convicted on 61 crimes, comprising both crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder and attempted murder; rape; sexual slavery; forced marriage; torture; enslavement; outrage upon personal dignity; conscription and use of children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities; pillaging; destruction of property and persecution. On 6 May 2021 the ICC pronounced a joint prison sentence of 25 years, taking into account the gravity of the crimes committed, as well as aggravating and mitigating circumstances. The Defence filed appeals against the conviction (21 July 2021) and the sentence (26 August 2021) which the Appeals Chamber will hear in due course. See also Military use of children Notes and references External links icc-cpi.int 'You chop her': Ugandan recalls brutal upbringing as LRA child soldier (By Elias Biryabarema, Reuters, February 4, 2021) Open Society Justice Initiative briefing paper: The Trial of Dominic Ongwen at the International Criminal Court 1975 births Living people 21st-century criminals Acholi people Date of birth missing (living people) Lord's Resistance Army rebels People convicted of attempted murder People convicted of murder Ugandan people convicted of rape People detained by the International Criminal Court People extradited from the Central African Republic Violence against women in Uganda