The Contribution of the Special Court for Sierra Leone to the Development of International Humanitarian Law

2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 817-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan C. Breau
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law

International Humanitarian Law, War Criminality and Child Recruitment: The Special Court for Sierra Leone's Decision in Prosecutor v. Samuel Hinga Norman

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW HAPPOLD
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Appeal Chamber ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
International Criminal Tribunals ◽  
The Status ◽  
Insight Into

The recent decision of the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Prosecutor v. Samuel Hinga Norman not only addresses the status of child recruitment as a war crime, but also provides an insight into how international criminal tribunals determine what conduct is criminal in international law. However, the authority of the decision is weakened by the unconvincing evidence relied upon by the Appeal Chamber in coming to its conclusions and by a strong dissent from Justice Robertson. The decision's faults, however, merely reflect problems in the process whereby violations of international humanitarian law are criminalized.

scholarly journals Double Standards in Peacekeeping? Subcontracting Peacekeeping and International Humanitarian Law

1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marten Zwanenburg
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Double Standards ◽  
Peace Enforcement ◽  
And Control

Increasingly the UN is ‘subcontracting’ peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations. The ECOMOG intervention in Sierra Leone is an example. Some members of ECOMOG have been accused of violating international humanitarian law. These accusations have not been adequately addressed by ECOMOG nor by the UN. The limited attention paid to this problem by the UN in ‘subcontracted’ operations contrasts with increased concern with respect for international humanitarian law by forces under UN command and control. It is argued that the UN should ensure that ‘subcontracting’ does not lead to lowering standards of international humanitarian law.

scholarly journals Transitional Justice in Afghanistan: Confronting Violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 3-51
Author(s):  
Peter G. Danchin
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
East Timor ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Military Campaign

After more than two decades of war and foreign interventions, including the recent US-led military campaign following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, Afghanistan has now entered a period of transition and rebuilding. It joins a host of other countries — from South Africa to Sierra Leone to East Timor — seeking to move from a repressive and violent past to a future based on democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights and international humanitarian law. Afghanistan presents one of the most confronting case studies of ‘transitional justice’, what Teitel has described as the issue of how societies deal with their ‘evil pasts’.

An overview of the international criminal jurisdictions operating in Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 88 (861) ◽  
pp. 111-131
Author(s):  
Jamie A. Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
International Criminal Court ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
International Criminal Tribunal ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
Present Review ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
African Continent ◽  
International Crimes

Whilst the African continent has been beset with many of the modern- day conflicts, and with them violations of international humanitarian law, through the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court, African states have demonstrated their intent to hold accountable the perpetrators of the gravest international crimes. By the end of 2005, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda celebrated its eleventh year, the Special Court for Sierra Leone will have completed its fourth year and the International Criminal Court will be more than three and a half years old. As the present review of their activities shows, the delivery of justice through international jurisdictions is a complex and often time-consuming process.

Preserving the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone: Challenges and Lessons Learned in Prosecuting Grave Crimes in Sierra Leone

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH F. KAMARA
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
War Crimes ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Crimes Against Humanity ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Sierra Leonean ◽  
Effective Administration ◽  
Forced Labour ◽  
The Government

AbstractSierra Leone experienced particularly heinous and widespread crimes against humanity and war crimes during its eleven years of civil war from 1991 to 2002. During the war, the civilian population was targeted by all the fighting factions. Civilians were captured, abducted, and held as slaves used for forced labour. The Special Court for Sierra Leone was established by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations in 2002, through Security Council Resolution 1315. It is mandated to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law committed in Sierra Leone since 30 November 1996. The aim of this paper is to sketch out the extent to which the jurisprudence of the Special Court can serve as a model for efficient and effective administration of criminal justice nationally through the preservation of its legacy.

International Humanitarian Law

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Crawford ◽  
Alison Pert
Keyword(s):  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law

Using African Truth and Reconciliation Commission documentation for truth telling and reconciliation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Proscovia Svärd
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commissions ◽  
Reconciliation Process

Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) are established to document violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in post-conflict societies. The intent is to excavate the truth to avoid political speculations and create an understanding of the nature of the conflict. The documentation hence results in a common narrative which aims to facilitate reconciliation to avoid regression to conflict. TRCs therefore do a tremendous job and create compound documentation that includes written statements, interviews, live public testimonies of witnesses and they also publish final reports based on the accumulated materials. At the end of their mission, TRCs recommend the optimal use of their documentation since it is of paramount importance to the reconciliation process. Despite this ambition, the TRCs’ documentation is often politicized and out of reach for the victims and the post-conflict societies at large. The TRCs’ documentation is instead poorly diffused into the post conflict societies and their findings are not effectively disseminated and used.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document