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To the United Nations
To the Security Council
Include in a Security Council resolution an explicit call for
Nigeria to surrender Charles Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Continue to extend the mandate of UNAMSIL, or create some
residual force to provide security for the Special Court throughout the
entirety of its operations.
To the U.N. Secretary-General
Explicitly call on Nigeria to surrender Charles Taylor to the
Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Without delay appoint qualified judges to serve on the second
Trial Chamber to enable its establishment.
Ensure that all judges appointed to the second Trial Chamber and
any additional judges you appoint to the first Trial Chamber and the Appeals
Chamber have criminal trial experience.
Request that the General Assembly fund the remaining $23.3
million necessary to operate the court through December 2005 as detailed in
your March 2004 subvention.
Request that the General Assembly remove the condition on funding
provided by the United Nations to the Special Court that any subsequent
additional voluntary contributions received by the court will result in a
reduction of U.N. funding in the same amount.
Advocate for additional funding as necessary to ensure that the
Special Court is able to bring justice fairly and effectively. This includes
advocating for increased funds as necessary to ensure adequate facilities for
the Defense Office, sufficient payment of defense counsel, and appointment of
one international investigator to each defense team. It also includes advocating
for increased funds as necessary to ensure additional legal officers to support
the Chambers, protection of witnesses, and effective outreach programming.
Advocate for funding for residual
mechanisms, including witness protection programs and detention facilities in
accordance with international standards, to operate after the court ceases
operations.
To the U.N. Advisory Committee
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions
Recommend that the General Assembly fund the remaining $23.3
million necessary to operate the court through December 2005 as detailed in the
March 2004 subvention by the U.N. secretary-general.
Request that the General Assembly remove the condition on funding
provided to the Special Court that any subsequent additional voluntary
contributions received by the court will result in a reduction of U.N. funding
in the same amount.
Recommend that the General Assembly ensure that the Special Court
has funding to bring justice fairly and effectively and that after the court
ceases operations, witness protection programs and detention facilities in
accordance with international standards function.
To Nigeria
Immediately surrender Charles Taylor to the Special Court for
Sierra Leone to face trial for his alleged crimes.
To the government of Sierra Leone
Without delay, appoint qualified judges to serve on the second
Trial Chamber to enable its establishment.
Ensure that judges appointed to the second Trial Chamber and any
additional judges appointed by your government to the first Trial Chamber and
the Appeals Chamber have criminal trial experience.
Pass a parliamentary resolution calling on Nigeria to surrender Charles Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
To donors, including the United States and the United
Kingdom
Ensure that the Special Court has funding to bring justice fairly
and effectively, including by providing increased funds for the Special Court
to ensure adequate facilities for the Defense Office, sufficient payment of
defense counsel, appointment of one international investigator to each defense
team, additional legal officers assigned to support the Chambers, protection of
witnesses, and effective outreach programming.
Fund residual mechanisms, including a domestic witness protection
program and detention facilities in accordance with international standards, to
operate after the court ceases operations.
Call on Nigeria to hand Charles Taylor over to the Special Court.
To the members of the Management Committee of the Special
Court
Support and advocate for additional funding for the Special Court
to ensure adequate facilities for the Defense Office, sufficient payment of
defense counsel, appointment of one international investigator to each defense
team, additional legal officers assigned to support the Chambers, protection of
witnesses, and effective outreach programming.
Formally request that Charles Taylor be delivered to the Special
Court for Sierra Leone.
To the Special Court for Sierra Leone
To the Registry
Coordinate ongoing sessions, including through exchanges with the
ICTR and ICTY, for judges on courtroom management, criminal trial procedure,
substantive international law, and treatment of witnesses and victims.
Coordinate ongoing intensive training for translators.
Coordinate ongoing training for staff in the Witness and Victim
Support Unit, including on providing quality pre-trial briefings to witnesses,
protecting the identity of witnesses, and responding to concerns by witnesses.
Coordinate meetings – drawing on Special Court staff expertise –
with Sierra Leone civil society and professionals in the local justice system
on identifying minimum legal reforms and infrastructure that would be necessary
to prosecute serious crimes in the local justice system.
Immediately create temporary separate entrances to the SCSL
facility so that individuals visiting defendants do not enter in the same gate
and wait in a common room as prosecution witnesses, and prioritize completion
of construction of permanent separate entrances.
Complete all preparation necessary for the second Trial Chamber
to function once the judges are appointed.
Recommend additional funding for:
o
Chambers to allow for assignment of additional legal officers for
a total of three per Chamber.
o
Defense to enable defense teams to have:
§
improved facilities through greater access to logistical support
(fax machines and photocopiers, Internet access, cabinet space, etc.);
§
additional compensation if they can demonstrate that preparing
and presenting the case effectively required hours of work and expenses that
exceeded the lump sum cap on compensation; and
§
one international investigator appointed to each defense team.
o
Witness protection by working with the Protection Unit to
identify where a lack of resources may be compromising its ability to provide
adequate protection to witnesses.
o
Outreach to support adequate programming.
To the Chambers
Appeals Chamber: Resolve motions on a more timely basis, in part
by allocating adequate time for Special Court work each month, as necessary.
Trial Chamber:
o
Rule on motions and conduct trials more efficiently.
o
Treat witnesses consistently with respect and dignity and due
regard for protection of identity where needed.
o
Participate in ongoing sessions on criminal procedure,
substantive law, courtroom management, and treatment of witnesses.
To the Office of the Prosecutor
Review prior investigative work to assess whether a few regional
or mid-level commanders who stood out against similarly ranking colleagues for
their particularly brutal crimes against civilians should be further
investigated or indicted, and if so, to pursue prosecution of these cases.
To the Defense Office
Advocate for an amendment to contracts with defense teams to
ensure that additional compensation is available for defense counsel where
additional work is required to mount a vigorous defense, in part by deleting
the “exceptional circumstances” requirement for additional compensation.
Address outstanding requests for local investigators and develop
procedures to expedite addressing future requests.
Advocate for the appointment of one international investigator to
each defense team.
Organize ongoing trainings for defense counsel and investigators.
To the Witness and Victim
Support Unit
Identify where a lack of resources may be compromising your
ability to provide adequate protection to witnesses and advocate for such
assistance with the Registry.
Participate in training to enhance protection, including by
improving pre-trial briefings, protection of identity of witnesses, and
responding to witness’ concerns.
To the Outreach Section
Coordinate production of audio segments on all key or decisive
moments that best illustrate the judicial process at the Special Court, in
addition to weekly audio summaries.
Increase initiatives to coordinate observation of proceedings by
individuals from throughout the country when testimony relevant to the area
they are from takes place.
Publicize information around Freetown about how to attend
proceedings and provide orientation sessions to all individuals interested in
observing trials that contextualize what is happening on a given day in the
larger judicial process.
Make copies of rulings and the schedule of proceedings available at
the law library and other public venues in Freetown.
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