The Special Court of Sierra Leone

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Periodical article

Title:	The Special Court of Sierra Leone
Author:	Gberie, Lansana
Year:	2003
Periodical:	African Affairs: The Journal of the Royal African Society
Volume:	102
Issue:	409
Pages:	637-648
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Sierra Leone
Subjects:	international criminal courts offences against human rights Law, Human Rights and Violence
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/3518518
Abstract:	Sierra Leone's decade-long conflict formally ended in January 2002. In that month an agreement was reached between the UN and the Sierra Leone government on the establishment of a Special Court whose mandate was to arrest and prosecute 'persons who bear the greatest responsibility for the commission of serious violations of international law and crimes committed under Sierra Leonean law', including those 'leaders who, in committing such crimes, have threatened the establishment of and implementation of the peace process in Sierra Leone'. The court focuses on crimes committed since 1996, which marked the signing of the Abidjan Accord. This article discusses the organization of the Court, its budget, its activities up to July 2003, criticism of the Court, and problems faced by the Court, including its relationship with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]