Harvard International Law Journal

The oldest and most-cited student-edited journal of international law, the Harvard International Law Journal covers a wide variety of topics in public and private international law.

Special Court for Sierra Leone

Convictions for Sierra Leone Rebel Leaders Upheld

Filed Under: Digest

The Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) upheld the convictions and sentences of three rebel leaders on February 22. The defendants were former leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), a military group that supported Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during Sierra Leone’s civil war in the 1990s. The three men, Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara, and Santigie Sorbor Kanu, were given sentences of 45 to 50 years for war crimes and crimes against humanity. They were found guilty of 11 charges, including acts of terrorism, murder, rape, enslavement, and military conscription of children under the age of fifteen. The full text of the decision can be found here.

On a separate note, the Court is currently convening a conference to address issues related to the cessation of its judicial activities. The Court’s press release can be found here.

Trial of Charles Taylor Resumes

Filed Under: Digest

The Special Court for Sierra Leone has resumed the trial of Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia, on eleven counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. This is the first time that an African head of state has been tried before an international tribunal.

Due to security concerns, the trial was transferred from Freetown, Sierra Leone to The Hague, The Netherlands after a six-month delay.

The charges against Mr. Taylor emanate from his alleged support for the Revolutionary United Front, the Sierra Leone rebel group notorious for its conscription of tens of thousands of child soldiers and its practice of severing the limbs of its victims.

The whole story can be viewed here.

Geoffrey Robertson QC’s Replacement Appointed

Filed Under: Digest

Special Court for Sierra Leone Justice Jon Kamanda has been sworn in as Justice of the Appeals Chamber, replacing Geoffrey Robertson QC, who resigned in August. He was appointed by the Government of Sierra Leone, pursuant to the Statute of the Special Court, under which two of the five Appeals Chamber Judges are appointed by the Government. Until his appointment, Justice Kamanda was a Judge of the Appeals Court. He began his career in London, where he trained as a Barrister at the Inns of Court, and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple. He worked as a State prosecutor and in private practice as a criminal lawyer before being elected to Parliament and serving as Minister of Health.

The Special Court’s press release can be found here.

Secretary-General Announces Plan to Appoint New Head of Hariri Inquiry

Filed Under: Digest

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced his plan to appoint Daniel Bellemare, former Canadian Deputy Attorney-General, as the next head of the independent commission tasked with investigating the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.  Mr. Ban sent a letter to the Security Council on November 13, detailing his intention to appoint Mr. Bellemare Commissioner of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC).

The IIIC was set up in April 2005, after Mr. Hariri was assassinated in a massive car bombing in Beirut in Feburary of that year.  The commision is also investigating at least 17 other cases in Lebanon.

Secretary-General Ban has moved to establish a special tribunal of an “international character” to try the suspected perpetrators of Mr. Hariri’s assassination and subsequent killings in Lebanon.

The full story is available here.

The October 2005 “Mehlis Report” concluded that members of the Syrian and Lebanese governments were involved in Hariri’s assassination.  The December 2005 follow-up is available here.

Special Court for Sierra Leone Appeals for Funding

Filed Under: Digest

Officials from the Special Court for Sierra Leone have asked for an additional $60 million so that they may complete their mandate to try “those who bear greatest responsibility” for war crimes in the country.  Current funds are expected to be exhausted in November of this year.  Four trials are currently before the Court, including that of Charles Taylor.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22839&Cr=sierra&Cr1=leone

Sierra Leone Special Court Defendant Dies in Custody

Filed Under: Digest

Sam Hinga Norman, former Sierra Leone Internal Affairs Minister and former head of the Civil Defense Forces militia during the conflict in Sierra Leone, died on 22 February. A detainee of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Mr. Norman was flown to Dakar earlier this month for routine medical procedures. His death appears to be the result of heart failure during post-operative care. The verdict in the Mr. Norman’s case, where he was charged with 8 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, is pending. The President of the Special Court has ordered an inquiry into Mr. Norman’s death.

See here and here for more information.