U.N. Action on Sierra Leone Court Welcomed

Human Rights Watch today applauded the United Nations Security Council for supporting the establishment of a special court to try war criminals in Sierra Leone. But the rights group warned that the justice effort in Sierra Leone must examine the criminal responsibility of all parties in order to be effective.
 
"Security Council support for this court may finally bring some justice for Sierra Leone's long-suffering civilians," said Peter Takirambudde, Executive Director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. "But this court must not stop at prosecuting one man or faction. Diplomats keep talking about the ‘Sankoh resolution,' as if rebel leader Foday Sankoh were the only one responsible for the widespread war crimes in Sierra Leone."  
 
The United Nations Security Council voted today to support the establishment of a criminal tribunal for Sierra Leone to prosecute "persons who bear the greatest responsibility" for "crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, as well as crimes under relevant Sierra Leonean law, committed within the territory of Sierra Leone." Unlike the criminal tribunals set up for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Sierra Leone court is envisioned as a "mixed" tribunal, in essence a joint justice effort between the Sierra Leone government and the international community. Human Rights Watch warned that the resolution did not actually establish the court, and that the effectiveness of the court would be determined by the yet-to-be-reached agreement between the United Nations and the government of Sierra Leone.  
 
The brutal nine-year civil war in Sierra Leone has been characterized by widespread human rights abuses. The rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has been responsible for the summary killings, rape, and mutilation of thousands of Sierra Leone civilians. During its short occupation of Freetown, the Sierra Leone capital, in January 1999, the RUF and its allies killed thousands of civilians and carried out mass amputations of the arms and legs of civilians. The Lome Peace Accords of July 1999 granted a blanket amnesty to all parties, but the RUF reignited the civil war in May 2000 by taking some 500 U.N. peacekeepers hostage and renewing its abusive offensive against the Sierra Leone government.  
 
Human Rights Watch expressed concern that a possible dominant role in the court by Sierra Leone authorities could lead to political manipulation of the process, leading to biased prosecutions and inadequate protections for persons standing trial before the tribunal. The Sierra Leone judiciary does not have the capacity to play more than a limited role in the court, a fact acknowledged by the Sierra Leone government itself, Human Rights Watch said. The rights group urged the U.N. Security Council to set up a credible, even-handed, and well-funded court with a strong international component.  
 
"Sierra Leone needs significant help of the international community to bring the main perpetrators of abuse to account," argued Takirambudde. "The job of bringing the perpetrators of international crimes to justice must reside with the international community, not simply war-torn Sierra Leone."