Sierra Leone Human Right Articles

SEP 3, 2009 As a newly minted investigator at the International Criminal Tribunal in Rwanda in 1995, I was not sure how people in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, would respond when I told them my line of work. In casual conversations at local restaurants I was surprised by how often I was asked if the tribunal planned to investigate crimes committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).

JUL 30, 2009 Recognizing our obligation to help protect human rights and uphold the rule of law, we, the undersigned civil society organizations, appeal to African ICC States Parties to reaffirm their support for the ICC and their commitment to abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute, particularly in relation to the arrest and transfer of the President of Sudan to the ICC.

DEC 24, 2008 On October 30, 2008, justice for victims of atrocities committed during the course of Liberia's long and brutal years of armed conflict took a major step forward in a very unlikely location: Miami, Florida.

OCT 3, 2008 Under a new law signed today by US President George W. Bush, leaders of military forces and armed groups who have recruited child soldiers may be arrested and prosecuted in the United States.

JUL 4, 2008 Diplomats, judges, lawyers, human rights activists and members of nongovernmental organizations are currently marking the 10th anniversary of the completion of the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. The court's creation was an extraordinary step in extending the reach of law to those responsible for the mass slaughter of civilians and the use of rape as a weapon of war.

MAY 28, 2008 The decision by Sierra Leone’s war crimes court to reject sentence reductions for two convicted militia members because they fought for a “legitimate cause” is crucial in ensuring justice for all victims of human rights violations.

APR 16, 2008 Because children are often physically vulnerable, easily intimidated, and susceptible to psychological manipulation, they typically make obedient soldiers.

MAR 11, 2008 Human Rights Watch writes to urge Dr. Ihsanoglu to use his position as Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to support measures at the upcoming Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Dakar, Senegal on March 13-14 that would improve and strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism.

MAR 11, 2008 On March 12 and 13, the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone will hold hearings on appeals against the convictions and sentencing of Moinina Fofana and Allieu Kondewa. These individuals were convicted on several counts of serious violations of international humanitarian law in connection with acts that they had committed, or had been responsible for, while members of the government-backed Civil Defence Forces (CDF) during Sierra Leone’s decade-long conflict. The upcoming hearings will raise a very important issue for the enforcement of international humanitarian law: whether applicable international legal standards allow factors such as political motivations and the party to the conflict for which a perpetrator fought to serve as a basis for mitigation in sentencing.

DEC 7, 2007 Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch’s International Justice Program, addresses the sixth session of the International Criminal Court's Assembly of States Parties. The ICC has made important strides in the past year. However, at this point in the court’s development—with six out of eight publicly issued arrest warrants outstanding—the most urgent and serious challenge facing the ICC is insufficient cooperation and support from states parties, non-states parties, and intergovernmental organizations.

Press release OCT 19, 1998 Human Rights Watch expressed its outrage at the execution earlier today of twenty-four soldiers by the government of Sierra Leone.

Press release OCT 16, 1998 Human Rights Watch today urged Sierra Leonean President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to commute death sentences for thirty-four soldiers accused of treason.

Letter OCT 16, 1998 Human Rights Watch writes to President Kabbah, encouraging the government of Sierra Leone to maintain national reconciliation as a priority while dispensing justice and holding perpetrators fully accountable for human rights abuses. However, we urge the president to ensure that the human rights of those sentenced to death in Sierra Leone are respected.

Press release JUL 29, 1998 Human Rights Watch condemns the war of terror now underway against civilians in Sierra Leone, and calls on the international community to take emergency measures to end the killings, amputations, and abductions taking place in that civil war.

Press release JUL 29, 1998 In a report released in July 1998, Sowing Terror: Atrocities Against Civilians in Sierra Leone, Human Rights Watch documented horrific abuses of human rights and humanitarian law, including the use of child soldiers

Press release JUN 18, 1998 Human Rights Watch warned that unless the international community takes immediate steps to address the desperate plight currently facing Sierra Leonean refugees in Liberia, it is likely that the situation will worsen and ultimately pose a bigger burden to the international community.

Press release MAY 1, 1998 In recognition of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, two exiled Sierra Leonian journalists, Lansana Gberie and Mohamed Bangura, announce the creation of an unprecedented fund to help rebuild Sierra Leone's media in the wake of its prolonged civil war.

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