The trial of Gibril Massaquoi has continued to focus on the central explosive question of whether the defendant escaped UN witness protection in Freetown in June-August 2003 to commit war crimes in neighboring Liberia….
War Crimes Trial Reporting
Sentence of Liberian Warlord Renews Calls for Accountability for Wartime Atrocities
Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh travels to Lofa County to hear the stories of victims of Kunti Kamara, sentenced to 30 years in prison by a French war crimes court….
Liberia: Presidential Candidates Cummings and Gongloe Commit to War Crimes Court
Two of Liberia’s leading candidates for president have committed to establishing a war and economic crimes court to try alleged leading perpetrators of Liberia’s civil wars if elected in the October elections….
US Trials of Two Alleged Top Liberian Warlords Delayed
The US trials of two alleged notorious Liberian warlords, scheduled for May and July, will be delayed until late this year at the earliest….
Liberia: Alleged Warlord Deported Back Home from US
Immigration and customs authorities in the US city of Detroit, Michigan, have deported an alleged Liberian warlord back home….
Foya Victims Celebrate Kamara Conviction
Evelyn Pillo points to the place where her youngest brother was killed and eaten in Ngisakonja, Lofa County by Kamara and Ulimo forces. NGISAKONJA, Lofa County – Evelyn Pillo points to the spot where her father’s house once sat. It was here that her family endured the horrors that, she says, haunt them to this…
Liberia: Second Witness Says He Has Been Attacked and Intimidated for Testifying Against Kosiah
A second plaintiff has told the Swiss court hearing the appeal proceedings of Alieu Kosiah, the Liberian warlord challenging his 20-year sentence for war crimes, that Kosiah’s allies beat and intimidated him for testifying against Kosiah in 2021….
First witness testifies against Gambia’s former interior minister Ousman Sonko in crimes against humanity trial in Switzerland
The first witness in the crimes against humanity trial of 55-year-old Ousman Sonko—Gambia’s former interior minister—told a Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona that Sonko treated her like a sex slave….
Liberia: French Authorities Charge Alleged Liberian Warlord
French authorities have charged Saturday Tuah, an alleged Liberian warlord with crimes against humanity….
Victims of alleged Jammeh henchman Ousman Sonko welcome Swiss trial
In the 22-year rule of Gambia’s former dictator Yahya Jammeh, protests were rare.The few who attempted them were brutally crushed by the military. In one of the earliest examples at least 14 students were killed at a demonstration in April 2000….
Victims express ‘relief’ in seeing ex-Jammeh lieutenant face justice as trial for crimes against humanity begins in Switzerland
Ousman Sonko, a 54-year-old former Gambian police chief and interior minister, appeared in court today for the opening of a trial in the Swiss city of Bellinzona. …
New Narratives Supports Gambian Journalist to Cover Milestone Swiss Trial of Jammeh Enforcer
New Narratives is pleased to to support the reporting of leading Gambian journalist Mustapha K. Darboe of the trial of Ousman Sonko, a former lieutenant of Gambia’s dictator president Yahya Jammeh, in Bellinzona, Switzerland….
Witnesses’ Lawyer Confident Accused Liberian Warlord Will Be Found Guilty in Paris Trial
PARIS, France—The lawyer for the ten plaintiffs who filed a formal complaint against Kunti Kamara, an accused Liberian warlord, says she’s hopeful he will be found guilty when the jury retires to consider their verdict next week. The defendant, 47, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted….
Accused Liberian Warlord Calls Plaintiffs Criminals in Paris War Crimes Trial
PARIS, France—Kunti Kamara has lashed out at the ten plaintiffs in his trial for crimes against humanity here calling them “criminals” and professing his innocence on charges of cannibalism, torture, rape, murder and forced labor….
Why the International War Crimes Trials of Liberians Matter
Opinion PARIS, France – The trial of former Ulimo battalion commander, Kunti Kamara aka “Kunti K.” ends its third week. Kamara is being tried for crimes against humanity, torture, forced labor and acts of barbarism, in the town of Foya in Lofa Country, Western Liberia, where the accused has admitted he was stationed for four months…
Court Abruptly Adjourns as Inconsolable Witness Recalls Alleged Rape by Accused Warlord’s Soldiers
PARIS, France – The judge in the ongoing war crimes trial of Kunti Kamara abruptly adjourned the hearing on Tuesday after an inconsolable witness began a graphic description of her alleged rape by a soldier under Kamara’s command. It was an emotional day of testimony that saw two witnesses break down in tears as they described…
Convicted War Criminal Kosiah Dismisses Cannibalism Charge in Paris War Crimes Trial
PARIS, France – Alieu Kosiah, convicted of war crimes in a Swiss court last year, appeared as a defense witness in the trial of Kunti Kamara, his one-time United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy colleague today and rejected the charge that Kamara had committed cannibalism. Kosiah, who travelled from Switzerland under heavy guard, was not…
Child Soldier Confirms Forced Labor; As Kosiah Testifies Today In War Crimes Trial in Paris
PARIS, France – A witness claiming to be a child soldier with Kunti Kamara has confirmed testimonies of over a dozen witnesses of forced labor by Kamara—one of the charges the former commander of the United Liberation Movement for Democracy faces at his war crimes trial here in Paris, France. The issue has been critical in…
Plaintiff Alleges Attacks and Intimidation In Retaliation for Testimony in Kosiah Trial
BELLINZONA, Switzerland – In a dramatic third day in former Liberian rebel commander Alieu Kosiah’s appeal of his 2021 war crimes conviction, a plaintiff in the 2021 trial told the court he has been threatened, beaten and forced to flee his home because of his testimony. By Antoine Harari with New Narratives “When I came…
Former Child Soldier Again Upends Kosiah War Crimes Court; Asks UN to Hear Asylum Claim
By Antoine Harari with New Narratives BELLINZONA, Switzerland — In a dramatic replay of his controversial appearance in convicted Liberian war criminal Alieu Kosiah’s 2021 trial, a former child soldier has upturned court proceedings, claiming he is in danger if he returns to Liberia. The former child soldier was brought from Liberia to testify for Kosiah…
Alleged Rape Victim Gives Emotional Testimony at Start of Appeal of Liberian Warlord
By Antoine Harari with New Narratives BELLINZONA, Switzerland—The appeal of the Liberian warlord Alieu Kosiah, former commander with the Ulimo rebel group, against his 2021 conviction for war crimes, opened today with a surprise report financed by Kosiah’s friends and family. Redacted by a Liberian lawyer, it consisted of eight pages of fact finding missions…