Historic feminist intervention at the International Criminal Court—the appeals hearing in Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen

ABSTRACT

Australian academics formed part of a feminist collective contributing as amici curiae to the appeal stage of International Criminal Court case Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen. This comment discusses the significance of these amici curiae interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• International criminal law
• Dominic Ongwen
• feminist legal theory
• amicus curiae
• forced marriage
• enforced pregnancy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Sarah Williams, Hannah Woolaver and Emma Palmer, The Amicus Curiae in International Criminal Justice (Hart Publishing 2020).

2 Ibid See also Sarah Williams and Emma Palmer, ‘Civil Society and Amicus Curiae Interventions in the International Criminal Court’ (2016) 2016 Acta Juridica 40.

3 Hannah Woolaver and Sarah Williams, ‘The Role of the Amicus Curiae Before International Criminal Tribunals’ (2006) 6 International Criminal Law Review 151, 185.

4 Avidan Kent and Jamie Trinidad, ‘International Law Scholars as Amici Curiae: An Emerging Dialogue (of the Deaf)?’ (2016) 29 Leiden Journal of International Law 1081.

5 Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen (Order inviting expressions of interest as amici curiae in judicial proceedings (pursuant to rule 103 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence)) ICC-02/04-01/15-1884 (25 October 2021) <https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.icc-cpi.int%2FCourtRecords%2FCR2021_09458.PDF>.

6 The two briefs not discussed in this comment are: Amici Curiae Observations on Duress and the Standards Applicable to Assessing Evidence of Sexual Violence, ICC-02/04-01/15-1893 (22 December 2021), by Louise Arimatsu, Adejoké Babington-Ashaye, Kirsten Campbell, Danya Chaikel, Christine Chinkin; Carolyn Edgerton, Priya Gopalan; Gorana Mlinarević, Angela Mudukuti, and Cynthia T Tai <https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.icc-cpi.int%2FCourtRecords%2FCR2021_11902.PDF>; and Amici Curiae Observations on Sexual- and Gender-Based Crimes, Particularly Sexual Slavery, and on Cumulative Convictions Pursuant to Rule 103 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, ICC-02/04-01/15-1934 (23 December 2021), by Sareta Ashraph, Stephanie Barbour, Kirsten Campbell, Alexandra Lily Kather, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Maxine Marcus, Gorana Mlinarević, Valerie Oosterveld, Kathleen Roberts, Susana SáCouto, Jelia Sané, and Hyunah Yang <www.icc-cpi.int/CourtRecords/CR2021_11909.PDF>.

7 On the LRA and Joseph Kony, see e.g. Anthony Vinci, ‘The Strategic Use of Fear by the Lord’s Resistance Army’ (2005) 16 Small Wars & Insurgencies 360.

8 Kjell Anderson, ‘Child Victim, Soldier, War Criminal: Unpacking Dominic Ongwen’s Journey’ The Conversation (10 February 2021) <https://theconversation.com/child-victim-soldier-war-criminal-unpacking-dominic-ongwens-journey-154850> accessed 31 March 2022.

9 Ongwen Trial Judgment; Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen (Sentence) ICC-02/04-01/15 (6 May 2021) (hereafter Ongwen Sentence).

10 Hannah Baumeister, Sexualised Crimes, Armed Conflict and the Law (Routledge 2018) 51.

11 ibid.

12 Ongwen Trial Judgment [2256]–[2270].

13 ibid [2289]–[2308].

14 ibid [212], [3089].

15 Prosecutor v Brima, Kamara and Kanu (Appeal Judgment) SCSL-2004-16-A (22 February 2008) para 190; Prosecutor v Sesay, Kallon and Gbao (Trial Judgment) SCSL-04-15-T (2 March 2009) [1408], [1413]. See also Case 002/02 against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, (Judgment) 002/19-09-2007/ECCC/TC (16 November 2018) [3536]–[3670]. The ICC also has another case in progress in which forced marriage is charged as an ‘other inhumane act’; Prosecutor v Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud (Rectificatif à la Décision relative à la confirmation des charges portées contre Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud) ICC-01/12-01/18-461-Corr-Red (13 November 2019).

16 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (adopted 17 July 1998, entered into force 1 July 2002) 2187 UNTS 90 (Rome Statute), art 7(1)(k).

17 Rome Statute, art 7(1)(g).

18 Ongwen Trial Judgment [2036], [2752].

19 Ongwen Sentence [290]–[293].

20 Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen, Public Redacted Version of ‘Defence Appeal Brief Against the Convictions in the Judgment of 4 February 2021’, filed on 21 July 2021 as ICC-02/04-01/15-1866-Conf, ICC-02/04-01/15-1866-Red, ICC-02/04-01/15-1866-Red (19 October 2021) (hereafter Defence Appeal) [147]–[149], [296], [975]–[978], [996]. See also Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen, Corrected Version of ‘Defence Response to the Amici Curiae Observations’, filed on 17 January 2022 as ICC-02/04-01/15-1950, ICC-02/04-01/15-1950-Corr, ICC-02/04-01/15-1950-Corr (27 January 2022) (hereafter Defence Amici Response) [96]–[103]. The Defence Appeal also contained several other arguments related to forced marriage, including that the Chamber failed to define the mens rea element of forced marriage, that Ongwen was not responsible because Kony was in charge ([998]–[1000]).

21 Rosemary Grey, ‘Reproductive Crimes in International Criminal Law’ in Indira Rosenthal, Valerie Oosterveld and Susana SáCouto (eds), Gender and International Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2022) 233; Rosemary Grey, ‘The ICC’s First “Forced Pregnancy” Case in Historical Perspective’ (2017) 15 Journal of International Criminal Justice 905.

22 Rome Statute, art 7(2)(f).

23 Ongwen Trial Judgment [3056]–[3052].

24 ibid.

25 Defence Appeal [946]; Defence Amici Response [80].

26 Ongwen Trial Judgment [2717].

27 Defence Appeal [962].

28 Amici Curiae Brief on Forced Marriage ICC-02/04-01/15-1935 (22 December 2021) by Erin Baines, Anne-Marie de Brouwer, Annie Bunting, Eefje de Volder, Kathleen M Maloney, Melanie O’Brien, Osai Ojigho, Valerie Oosterveld, and Indira Rosenthal <www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/record.aspx?docNo=ICC-02/04-01/15-1935>.

29 For detail on the history of the jurisprudence of forced marriage, see Melanie O’Brien, ‘“Don’t Kill Them, Let’s Choose Them as Wives”: The Development of the Crimes of Forced Marriage, Sexual Slavery and Enforced Prostitution in International Criminal Law’ (2016) 20 The International Journal of Human Rights 386; Valerie Oosterveld, ‘Lessons from the Special Court for Sierra Leone on the Prosecution of Gender-Based Crimes’ (2009) 17 American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & Law 407.

30 On the gendered nature of forced marriage, see Melanie O’Brien, ‘Gender Dimensions of Forced Marriage in International Criminal Law’ in Indira Rosenthal, Valerie Oosterveld and Susana SáCouto (eds), Gender and International Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2022) 209.

31 Amici Curiae Observations on the Rome Statute’s definition of ‘forced pregnancy’ ICC-02/04-01/15-1938 (23 December 2021) by Rosemary Grey, Global Justice Center, Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, and Amnesty International <www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/record.aspx?docNo=ICC-02/04-01/15-1938>.

32 This refers to Element 1 of the crime: ‘The perpetrator confined one or more women forcibly made pregnant, with the intention of affecting the ethnic composition of any population or carrying out other grave violations of international law’. International Criminal Court, Elements of Crimes (2000) UN Doc PCNICC/2000/1/Add.2.

33 Prosecutor v Dominic Ongen, Appeals Hearing, Transcript 15 February 2022, ICC-02/04-01/15-T-264-ENG, <www.icc-cpi.int/Transcripts/CR2022_01020.PDF>.

34 ibid. Written responses included: Prosecutor v Dominic Ongwen, Prosecution Response to Amici Curiae observations ICC-02/04-01/15-1952 (17 January 2022); Victims’ Observations on amici curiae submissions ICC-02/04-01/15-1953 (17 January 2022).

35 Louise Chappell, The Politics of Gender Justice at the International Criminal Court: Legacies and Legitimacy (Oxford University Press 2016).

36 Rosemary Grey and Louise Chappell, ‘Gender-Just Judging in International Criminal Courts’ in Susan Harris Rimmer and Kate Ogg (eds), Feminist Engagement with International Law (Edward Elgar 2019); Rhonda Copelon, ‘Gender Crimes as War Crimes: Integrating Crimes Against Women into International Criminal Law’ (2000) 46 McGill Law Journal 217, 225.

37 Rachele Marconi, Solidarity and Justice for War Crimes Against Women: The ‘Comfort Women’ Case (2022) London School of Economics Working Paper 28, 13 <www.lse.ac.uk/women-peace-security/assets/documents/2022/WPS28Marconi.pdf>.

38 ibid 12.

39 Woolaver and Williams (n 3) 185.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melanie O’Brien

Melanie O’Brien is Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Western Australia Law School.

Indira Rosenthal

Indira Rosenthal consults widely on gender and international human rights and international criminal law and is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania.

Rosemary Grey

Rosemary Grey is a Lecturer at Sydney Law School, in the University of Sydney.