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The Neuroscience Of Trauma Supports Diminished Capacity As A Nuanced Approach To The Icc Case Of An Ex-Child Soldier, Lee Hiromoto, Ramail Siddiqui, Landy F. Sparr
The Neuroscience Of Trauma Supports Diminished Capacity As A Nuanced Approach To The Icc Case Of An Ex-Child Soldier, Lee Hiromoto, Ramail Siddiqui, Landy F. Sparr
JCLC Online
The 2021 conviction of former child soldier Dominic Ongwen by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes committed as an adult commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda raises questions about the ICC’s approach to mental illness. During his trial, the defendant unsuccessfully raised defenses of insanity and duress, based on his kidnapping into the militant group as a child. The court rejected not only those defenses, but also the claim that he had mental illness at all, in spite of his traumatic childhood. Integrating scientific research, we argue that both the ICC and the defense failed to …