The international criminal court sentenced a former Ugandan child soldier, Dominic Ongwen, who had become involved in the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army, to 25 years in prison for various crimes involved in war. He was convicted in February of 61 out of 70 of his alleged crimes, and has now been officially sentenced. The court had considered life in prison, the worst possible punishment from this court, but decided against it in pity for his own suffering he experienced as a child soldier. He was kidnapped as a 9 year old boy and forced into a life of violence after the LRA killed both his parents. Another child soldier free from the LRA believes the court has gone too harshly on him yet, as he did not have any choice in his actions and was forced to do so through circumstance. The prosecution’s opinion is that for some of his acts he was not under duress, and even gave orders, additionally the heinousness of the crimes gave them little ability to see Dominic’s powerlessness in his situation.
