Thank You, and a Recap of 2023
Dear Friends,
As we approach the end of the year, we always take a moment to reflect on the work we have accomplished. Whilst most of our activities are not public, we can still share with you some of our work.
The Alieu Kosiah Case
(January-February)
The appeal proceedings for the Alieu Kosiah case took place between January 11 and February 3 at the Swiss Federal Criminal Court (FCC) in Bellinzona, Switzerland. On June 1, the Court of Appeals confirmed the conviction for war crimes for the former ULIMO rebel commander, and also found him guilty of crimes against humanity, as the indictment against him had been amended the year prior to include these counts.
Alain Werner, Director of Civitas Maxima (CM), alongside Romain Wavre, a former Legal Counsel at CM, represented 4 of the plaintiffs in the case.
The case of Alieu Kosiah is historic for both Liberia and Switzerland: it is the first conviction of a Liberian citizen for war crimes, the first conviction for war crimes before the Swiss FCC, and the first ever conviction for crimes against humanity in Switzerland.
You can find trial monitoring for both the first instance proceedings (English and French) and appeal (French only) on our website.
The Gibril Massaquoi case
(January-September)
The appeal proceedings for the Gibril Massaquoi case began on January 10, at the Turku Court of Appeals, Finland. The hearings, which concluded on September 8, were mostly held in Monrovia, Liberia, similarly to the first instance proceedings. More than 90 witnesses, including experts and through recordings, were heard over 60 days of hearings. The former RUF Spokesperson and Commander stands accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Liberia during the country’s second civil war (1999-2003).
CM and the GJRP had submitted information regarding Massaquoi’s alleged involvement in mass atrocities in Liberia to the Finnish authorities.
In early 2022, Gibril Massaquoi was acquitted as the Judges of the first instance proceedings had ruled that there was reasonable doubt that he had committed the offenses he is charged with.
The case represents a rare example in universal jurisdiction practice, as both the District and the Appeal courts relocated to the country where the crimes were committed. It allowed Liberian citizens to testify in a criminal trial held in Monrovia about what had happened to them during the war, as Liberians are still waiting up to this day for their government to set up a war crime court, 20 years after the end of the two civil wars (1989-1996 and 1999-2003).
Mr Massaquoi had testified at the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL) in 2005, for which he was offered relocation in Finland as a protected witness of the SCSL: he was not, however, offered immunity for the alleged crimes committed in Liberia. The judgement of the Appeals court should be rendered early next year.
You can access the trial monitoring for both first instance proceedings and appeal (upload ongoing) on our website.
SLAPP lawsuit against Civitas Maxima, Alain Werner, the GJRP, and Hassan Bility
(March)
In March, Agnes Reeves-Taylor, ex-wife of Charles Taylor – who returned to Liberia following the dismissal of the case against her in the UK – initiated civil proceedings against both CM and its sister organization GJRP and their respective directors for “malicious prosecution and wrongdoing” and requested 15,000,000 USD in general damages to “restore her prestige and reputation and compensate her for the injury against her person”. A civil trial should be held in 2024, in Monrovia.
Ms. Reeves-Taylor claims that her incarceration and the investigation into acts of torture she allegedly committed during the First Liberian Civil War – which was independently conducted over several years by the British Metropolitan Police – is to be blamed on the two organizations.
The case against Agnes Reeves-Taylor was dismissed due to a legal technicality, and the judge who ruled the case found that there was prima facie evidence that she committed the acts of torture she was accused of.
Investigation into attack of Swiss journalist in Ukraine
(March)
On March 26, the spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), confirmed in a press article that criminal proceedings were being initiated for the attack against Swiss press reporter Guillaume Briquet by an alleged Russian commando, and that further investigation will be carried out. Mr. Briquet was injured as a result of the attack, as he was driving from Kropyvnytsky to Mykolaïv (Ukraine).
As part of its Knowledge and Training Centre (KTC), in 2022 CM assisted Ukrainian organization Truth Hounds in filing a denunciation to the Swiss federal criminal authorities regarding the attack suffered by Mr. Briquet. In 2021, CM had provided bespoke training to Truth Hounds in Kyiv, in Ukraine.
Annual Report – Civitas Maxima’s 10th anniversary edition
(June)
In June, we published a special edition of our annual report to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Civitas Maxima, founded in 2012.
Over 100 pages long and with the contribution of 20 authors (including ambassadors, judges, lawyers, scholars, journalists, board members, and staff) we wanted to reflect on all the work we accomplished in 10 years of existence.
Besides discussing the highlights of the year, the first two parts of our annual report are dedicated to this anniversary. The first section showcases some of the historic cases and people that have shaped the world of international criminal justice, paving the way to our work. The second section is dedicated to how organizations like Civitas Maxima fill the “impunity gap” which, nolens volens, bigger mechanisms cannot fill.
You can find the 2022 Annual report here.
Alleged former NPFL Commander arrested in France
(September)
Saturday T., alleged former NPFL Commander, was charged in France on September 13 for his purported involvement in committing crimes against humanity during the First Liberian Civil War. Initially placed under judicial supervision, the prosecutors appealed this decision, and requested for Saturday T. to be placed in detention. The three judges of the Investigative Chamber of Paris ruled that the gravity of the facts, and the risk of consulting with possible accomplices and witnesses were high enough for him to be held in detention.
CM and the GJRP, through its lawyers Simon Foreman and Sabrina Delattre, filed a complaint in France in May 2018, which led the French authorities to investigate Saturday T.
This is the eleventh publicized criminal case on which CM and its sister organization in Liberia, the GJRP, have collaborated in one way or another with national authorities, in 6 different countries, over 2 continents.
Mock-trial
(September-November)
For the third year in a row, CM, in collaboration with Philanthropic Adventures, held a “Quest for Justice” project at the International School of Geneva. In this series of workshops, students explored the world of international criminal justice, philanthropy, and outreach. The participants had the chance to ask questions to CM lawyers who have worked in the field and to CM communications professionals who are involved in outreach projects, and to learn how to raise awareness for the work of NGOs.
Finally, the students performed a war crimes mock-trial set within a fictional context. As the world is witnessing a rise of these types of judicial practices, the students got a glimpse of what it means to be part of this process.
With only 11 years of activity, we are a small independent organization that has less than 20 employees, and that does not rely on any state funding. We are incredibly grateful to all of the forgotten victims of international crimes who put their trust in us and allow us to represent them. We would not be able to achieve all of this without the support of our donors, both private and institutional. To them all goes our deepest gratitude.
As we look forward to 2024, we would also like to thank and salute two very important people who have contributed a lot to our organization in the past years: Emmanuelle Marchand, our Deputy Director and Head of Legal, who, after 10 years of dedicated work to our organization, has left the organisation. We wish her the best of luck in all of her future endeavors; and Kim Thuy Seelinger, who has been a member of our Executive Board for 10 years, and President of CM for several years. Kim has joined our Advisory Board and we will continue to benefit from her knowledge and expertise.
Happy holidays,
The Civitas Maxima Team