International Criminal Tribunal For Sierra Leone (United Nations)

International Criminal Tribunal For Sierra Leone

Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called Tuesday for some form of international tribunal to be set up to try rebel leaders accused of war crimes in Sierra Leone. Holbrooke told the U.N. Security Council that President Kabbah had requested that jurisdiction of an existing war crimes tribunal, such as the one set up for the former Yugoslavia and later extended to cover the 1994 Rwanda genocide, be extended to Sierra Leone. Holbrooke said he was against the creation of a new U.N. tribunal, but that he he had talked to the prosecutor of these courts, Carla del Ponte, about what could be done. "Some form of extension of the international war crime umbrella to cover these odious people must be undertaken," Holbrooke said, adding: "Some form of international umbrella as suggested by the president of Sierra Leone is something I believe must be looked at very positively and with the view towards action at the earliest possible opportunity...We do not believe that Sierra Leone can have a peaceful and stable future before they are brought to justice." Britain meanwhile has circulated a draft Security Council resolution calling for detained RUF leader Foday Sankoh to be brought to justice. The resolution asks U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to examine any request for help in prosecuting those responsible for serious violations of Sierra Leonean and international law. In Freetown, Information Minister Dr. Julius Spencer (pictured right) was quoted Tuesday as saying his government had asked for a tribunal to operate in Sierra Leone under a combination of Sierra Leonean and international law. "The tribunal will be set up to try for crimes past and present," he said. "The initial work has begun."

With ratification by Sierra Leone on May 23, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has received 13 of the 60 ratifications necessary to bring the Court into existence. The ICC would initially have within its jurisdiction crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity -- the latter category to include murder, enslavement, extermination, persecution, disappearance and sexual crimes. An ICC Preparatory Commission has set a deadline of June 30 to complete work on two aspects of the Court's State essential to its eventual functioning: Rules of Procedures and Evidence, and Elements of Crimes. The Court is not expected to be operational in time to hear cases relating to abuses in the Sierra Leone conflict. So far 97 countries have signed the treaty establishing the Court. The treaty remains open for signature until December 31. To this point only Sierra Leone, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, San Marino, Italy, Fiji, Ghana, Norway, Belize, Iceland, Tajikistan, Venezuela and France have ratified the treaty.

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