Over one hundred participants including youth and elders were assembled at the Lumpa Community Centre over the weekend in a one-day symposium on communicating the legacies of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL).
The symposium was organized by the Youth Welfare and Development Organization (YWDO) in collaboration with SCSL as part of the court’s outreach activities aimed at sensitizing the people on trails left by the Special Court as it legacies and for the community to refrain from violence and acts of impunity.
The SCSL Outreach Coordinator, Patrick Fatorma said that as the court draws near the finishing line of its mandate, it is important to begin talking about the legacy the court will leave for Sierra Leone and the International Community including cases trail.
Fatorma explained that the mandate was to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for serious crimes committed during the war in Sierra Leone. He said those crimes included crimes against humanity, serious violations of international law, attack against peace keepers and child recruitment and added that the conviction of persons for these heinous crimes also form part of the court’s legacy.
Thirteen persons were indicted by the Court including the formal President of Liberia, Charles Taylor whose trail, he noted, is still ongoing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague. He however emphasized that Mr. Taylor is still innocent until he found guilty by the court.
He explained that of the thirteen indicted persons, three of them, Hinga Norman, Foday Sankoh, and Sam Bokarie died during the cause of the prosecution saying that their indictments were therefore dropped as a result, while Issa Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbow were convicted for 52 years, 40 years and 25 years respectively and are serving their jail terms in Rwanda.
He disclosed the court will also leave behind as part of its legacy a preservation of records and archives including memories of the experiences and testimonies of Sierra Leoneans during the war, as well as values and principles in the advancement of the rule of law and fair judicial proceedings.
It is expected that the legacies of the Special Court for Sierra Leone will enhance the fair delivery of justice for all in Sierra Leone as it will leave behind loads of reference materials to capacitate the country’s judicial system.
By Emmanuella Kallon
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