First Conviction in Switzerland for Crimes Against Humanity Bellinzona, Switzerland – Seven plaintiffs write a page of Swiss and Liberian history as Alieu Kosiah is convicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Today, June 1, 2023, after 4 weeks of hearings between January and February 2023 – the Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Federal Criminal […]
War crimes round-up: Liberian civil war rebels on trial again, survivor testifies against Gambian ‘death squad’
Geneva Solutions’s monthly “war criminal hunt”, in collaboration with the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima. The first month of 2023 has been an indicator of how universal jurisdiction is gaining ground globally with every passing year. In Switzerland, the appeal proceedings against Liberian former rebel commander Alieu Kosiah began in a case that has represented many […]
[11/02/2022] Jour 17 : le verdict
[11/02/2022] Day 17: The verdict The floor was given to Kunti Kamara. He stated that he had nothing more to add. He reaffirmed his innocence and indicated that he was only a simple soldier at the time of the events. The President explained that it was up to the Court to deliberate on the 19 […]
[10/31/2022] Jour 16 : Le ministère public et la défense plaident
[10/31/2022] Day 16 : The prosecution and the defence plead The morning was devoted to the closing arguments of the two general counsels and the afternoon to the pleadings of the defense lawyers. The first public prosecutor said she was speaking after three weeks of a very dense trial and complex stories that were difficult […]
[10/28/2022] Jour 15 : plaidoirie de la partie civile
[10/28/2022] Day 15 : The civil party pleads The President began this new day of hearings by recalling that the Court was seized by the Investigating Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal for (i) acts of complicity in crimes against humanity concerning the acts of rape of which RSK and EFNS were victims, (ii) […]
[10/27/2022] Jour 14 : Kamara parle
[10/27/2022] Day 14 : Kamara speaks The President agreed with the request of some of the jurors and asked the Chief of Police to bring Kunti Kamara to the center of the courtroom for a few moments so that the jurors could appreciate her physical appearance. Summary examination on the merits of the case of […]
[10/26/2022] Jour 13 : Civitas Maxima
[10/26/2022] Day 13 : Civitas Maxima Deliberations of the Court on the procedural issue of the statute of limitations raised by the defence The Court deliberated on the procedural issue of the statute of limitations for the prosecution raised by the defence. The President stated that the Court had ruled in an adversarial manner without […]
[10/25/2022] Jour 12 : violence sexuelle
[10/25/2022] Day 12 : Sexual violence Defence case on procedural issues The defense lawyer began by recalling that the NGO Civitas Maxima had filed a complaint against Kunti Kamara on July 23, 2018 on the charge of crimes against humanity for acts committed in Liberia 25 years earlier. He then clarified that the procedural incidents […]
[10/24/2022] Jour 11 : tabey
[10/24/2022] Day 11: Tabey LSM hearing as a civil party LSM stated that he was born on 22 April 1972 in Monrovia and that he was a private security officer. Before giving him the floor, the President said that LSM was heard by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor on 28 January 2016 and then by the […]
[10/21/2022] Jour 10 : Alieu Kosiah témoigne
[10/21/2022] Day 10: Alieu Kosiah Testifies Hearing of Christian Ballouard, psychologist, expert at the Paris Court of Appeal The President recalled that the expert had been mandated to carry out three psychological assessments of FG, JTC and SFC respectively. Invited to explain the role of a psychological expertise on the civil parties, Christian Ballouard indicated […]
