The defence of mental incapacity raises unique challenges in the particular context of mass atrocity and international criminal law. Yet, it has remained largely unexplored in the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals. The Trial Chamber judgment issued by the International Criminal Court in the case of Dominic Ongwen offered a unique opportunity to remedy this and clarify the legal contours of the defence. Unfortunately, the court engaged minimally with these issues. This article examines the court’s reasoning in the Ongwen case and the lessons that may be learnt from it about the operation of the defence, particularly in relation to the treatment of expert evidence. It is contended that while there were significant shortcomings in the claim put forward by Ongwen in the aftermath of the judgment, the prospects of advancing a successful defence of mental incapacity based on control-related disorders in the future appear limited.

中文翻译：

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国际刑法中的精神上无行为能力抗辩：翁文审判判决的后果

在大规模暴行和国际刑法的特定背景下，精神上无行为能力的辩护提出了独特的挑战。然而，在国际法院和法庭的判例中，它在很大程度上仍未得到探索。国际刑事法院就 Dominic Ongwen 案发布的审判分庭判决提供了一个独特的机会来纠正这一点并阐明辩护的法律轮廓。不幸的是，法院很少参与这些问题。本文审查了法院在 Ongwen 案中的推理，以及可以从中吸取的关于辩护运作的经验教训，特别是与专家证据的处理有关的经验教训。据称，虽然 Ongwen 在判决后提出的索赔存在重大缺陷，