LEGAL ANALYSIS OF GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ARMED CONFLICT: A STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL COURT DECISIONS
Abstract
Non- international armed conflicts consistently give rise to massive and systematic human rights violations , which demand a comprehensive international legal response . The case of The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen ( ICC-02/04-01/15) is one of the most monumental decisions in the history of the International Criminal Court (ICC), presenting a previously untested legal dimension , particularly regarding the defendant 's dual status as a former child soldier and perpetrator of large -scale international crimes . This study aims to analyze the application of the 1998 Rome Statute and the Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) in qualifying gross human rights violations in the Ongwen case , as well as to examine the ICC's legal considerations in determining criminal responsibility and sentencing of the defendant . The method used is normative legal research with a statutory approach , a case approach , and a conceptual approach , based on a literature study of primary, secondary , and tertiary legal materials . The research results show that the ICC successfully qualified 62 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity based on Article 7 and Article 8 of the Rome Statute , including the recognition of forced marriage as another inhumane act and forced pregnancy as a war crime — both of which constitute historic jurisprudential precedents. The synergy between the Rome Statute and the OPAC strengthens the prosecution of the recruitment of children under the age of 15 , although the gap in the age threshold with the OPAC creates a normative gray area . The ICC rejected the duress defense and asserted that past victim status does not eliminate criminal responsibility, as confirmed by the 2022 appeals ruling . This study recommends harmonization of the age threshold between the two instruments , the development of a reparation mechanism based on psychosocial rehabilitation , and the strengthening of national legislation in criminalizing child recruitment by non-state actors .
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