The Asser Institute and Movies that Matter invite you to a special screening of the powerful documentary, 'Theatre of Violence', that takes place in The Hague on Tuesday, 9 December 2025.
The film follows the landmark trial of Dominic Ongwen, a former commander in Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Ongwen is accused of horrific war crimes and crimes against humanity. But there's a profound complication: Ongwen himself was abducted by the LRA at just nine years old, brutalised, brainwashed, and forced to kill.
This haunting story raises questions that go to the very heart of international justice:
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How does the legal system define criminal responsibility in such a complex case?
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When does a victim become a perpetrator? And can they be both?
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Does the ICC's verdict, delivered in The Hague, clash with the needs of local communities in Uganda seeking to heal from trauma?
This film is a vital look at the collision between international justice and local realities.
Following the screening, we will host an expert panel discussion to delve into the complex issues raised by the film.
The discussion will explore the phenomenon of child soldiers, the role of spiritual beliefs and cultural concepts of spirituality in the Ongwen case, as well as the victims’ perspectives on the crimes for which Dominic Ongwen was convicted. This conversation aims to deepen understanding of how trauma, belief, and justice intersect — and to examine how international law can respond to the realities of those most affected by conflict.
Panel lineup:
Anushka Sehmi is a Kenyan lawyer with over ten years of experience working in civil society in Kenya, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the United Nations. She previously represented victims before the ICC in The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen and The Prosecutor v. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. She has also worked at the ICC as Field Officer for the Victims’ Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) and as an Associate Legal Officer with the ICC Registry. She holds degrees in law from the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford and recently completed an MSc. in African Studies from the University of Oxford.
Adina-Loredana Nistor is an Assistant Professor in Criminology, Faculty of Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She has recently finalised her PhD research in International Criminal Law at the University of Groningen, Netherlands and will defend her thesis in February 2026. Her study explores how cultural differences impact international trials throughout their proceedings, with a particular focus on the International Criminal Court, including the trial of Dominic Ongwen.
Colin Black is a former international and national prosecutor. Before joining CCCA in January 2024, he was a Trial Lawyer and Head of Unified Team at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court from 2015-2023. Colin served as a member of the prosecution team for the Ongwen case. Before that, he prosecuted environmental crimes with the US Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section from 2007-2015, and he worked in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia from 2002-2006.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Asser Institute researcher Niki Siampakou.