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World Report 1999- Sierra Leone Civil War in Sierra Leone
UN Role in Sierra Leone Peace Deal Condemned
Blanket amnesty violates international law

(New York, July 8, 1999) - Human Rights Watch today condemned the United Nations for acting as moral guarantor of a peace agreement that includes a blanket amnesty for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone's civil war.

The United Nations facilitated the peace talks, which were held in Lome, Togo, and a U.N. spokesman said yesterday that the Secretary-General's Special Representative would sign the agreement.


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"Everyone wants this terrible civil war to end, but the peace deal can't simply ignore eight years of atrocities. The U.N. should know that any peace built on impunity is unlikely to last -- and may well serve as an invitation to more atrocities in the future."

Peter Takirambudde
Executive Director for Africa at Human Rights Watch

The spokesman also said the U.N. would add a notation to the agreement, that it would not recognize the amnesty for gross violations of human rights. But the notation will not be binding on the warring parties.

"Everyone wants this terrible civil war to end," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. "But the peace deal can't simply ignore eight years of atrocities. The U.N. should know that any peace built on impunity is unlikely to last -- and may well serve as an invitation to more atrocities in the future."

"For example, the peace nogotiations that ended the Angolan civil war included six successive amnesties and Angola is once again back at war," Takirambudee added.

Takirambudde noted that Human Rights Watch has documented atrocities committed by the rebel forces as recently as two weeks ago, despite a ceasefire in effect since May 24. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has systematically targeted civilians for murder, rape, amputation, and torture, among other war crimes.

According to international law, amnesties cannot be granted for crimes of such gravity.

"The U.N. should never have gotten involved in an accord that contains such an amnesty," said Takirambudde. "Rather than fixing its mistake, the U.N. is trying to cover up for it."

For more information, please contact:
In Freetown: Corinne Dufka +232-22-23-11-85
In New York: Zachary Freeman +212-216-1834
In New York: Carroll Bogert +212-216-1244
In New York: Joanna Weschler +917-699-9314
In London: Urmi Shah +44-171-713-1995
In Brussels: Jean-Paul Marthoz +32-2-732-2009
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