Sierra Leoneans hail Special Court final ruling on AFRC leaders
By Umaru S Jah
Freetown, February 28, 2008 -- Sierra Leoneans have welcomed a February 22 Appeals Chamber ruling of the Special Court which confirmed long prison sentences for three former Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) leaders convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity. “I was very happy when I heard the news that the appeals of former AFRC fighters were dismissed and they are going to serve the sentences,” said Alimamy Turay, 19, who earns his living by washing cars at Government Wharf in Freetown. “They should pay for their evil deeds.”
for Sierra Leone. February 2008.
Photo © Special Court Public Affairs Office.
The Appeals Court of the Special Court for Sierra Leone upheld jail terms of 50 years each for Alex Tamba Brima and Santigie Borbor Kanu, and 45 years for Brima Bazzy Kamara. The three men were convicted last June on 11 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, rape, and using child soldiers.
Turay blamed the AFRC junta for what he said made him a car washer to “eke out a living”. He said his father was killed when the AFRC junta overthrew the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government in 1997. “I was nine years by then and I had to stay with my uncle who later died when I was 15.”
Mohamed Massaquoi, a civil servant, said the court’s ruling will help curb impunity in post conflict Sierra Leone. “I am quite content with the Special Court decision to uphold the sentences of the three AFRC members,” he commented. “Their nefarious attitude during the war in Sierra Leone was obvious. There was therefore need for justice to be done.”
Kadija Mansaray, head of the Sierra Leone Women’s Cooperative in Freetown, expressed dismay over the sufferings that women went through during the war in Sierra Leone. This, she said, warranted justice. “Women were subjected to a lot of inhumane acts including gang rape, torture and massive killings,” she said. “Though the sentences given to the AFRC boys are not enough compared to the wicked acts they committed against us, I think it is an appropriate punishment.”
Sierra Leoneans are now urging the UN-backed Special Court to speed up the trial of other indictees, including former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who is currently on trial in The Hague, Netherlands.
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