Judges for Ad Hoc Sierra Leone War Crimes Court Take Oaths

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Saturday, February 1, 2003
Author: 
Bruce Zagaris
Volume: 
19
Issue: 
2
72
Abstract: 
On December 2, 2002, the eight judges comprising a United Nations special tribunal to try certain high level persons accused of responsibility for war crimes in Sierra Leone’s civil war were sworn into office. The eight judges are three Westerners, two Sierra Leoneans and three other Africans. In particular, the foreign judges come from Britain, Canada, Austria, Nigeria, Gambia and Cameroon. The Chief prosecutor is a U.S. Army lawyer. In January 2002, the ad hoc court was established just as the conflict was declared ended after a U.N. peacekeeping force disarmed more than 47,000 fighters. During the decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone, approximately 50, 000 people were killed and many more wounded. The Revolutionary United Front rebels and fighters of a former military junta perpetrated atrocities against civilians, including mass killings, rape and mutation. The trial is expected to being in 2003. Among the persons that are expected to be prosecuted are Revolutionary United Front leader, Foday Sankoh, who is detained. Johnny Paul Koroma, who led a military government after a coup overthrew President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, is also expected to be tried by the special court. Later a regional force restored Kabbah to power.