Gibril Massaquoi (born in 1970) was a commander and a spokesperson for the notorious

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

rebel group, the

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

(RUF), which also fought in

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. In 2005, he became the top informer for the prosecutor of the

Special Court for Sierra Leone The Special Court for Sierra Leone, or the "Special Court" (SCSL), also called the Sierra Leone Tribunal, was a judicial body set up by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to "prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibil ...

. He gave evidence to the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone set up to investigate war crimes committed in that conflict. He was relocated to

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

in 2008 as part of a witness protection programme, which provided immunity for crimes committed in Sierra Leone, but not Liberia.

Arrest

On 10 March 2020, Massaquoi was arrested in

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

, Finland, by the Finnish police who suspect he committed war crimes and

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

in Liberia between 1999 and 2003. Never before has a former “top grass” of an international tribunal – at the SCSL Massaquoi is considered by White to be “probably the most important of all” – been arrested and charged by a national court without the agreement of the institution with which he collaborated. The case has thus caused controversy, particularly among former members of the SCSL concerning immunity for insiders and witness protection.

Trial and charges

On 1 February 2021 the Massaquoi's trial began, hardly two years after the opening of an investigation into this former Sierra Leonean

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

. It has been done in record time and is a revolution in

universal jurisdiction Universal jurisdiction is a legal principle that allows states or international organizations to claim criminal jurisdiction over an accused person regardless of where the alleged crime was committed, and regardless of the accused's nationality, ...

, all in the midst of a pandemic. The trial is expected to last until May, 2021. Massaquoi is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including committing and inciting the murders of civilians and enemy fighters, aggravated rapes, aggravated war crimes, and aggravated violations of human rights in a

State of Emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

during the

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996. President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...

. Massaquoi denies all charges, saying he was not in Liberia when the alleged crimes took place. Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence, which, in Finland tends to mean 14 years imprisonment. Massaquoi was acquitted of all charges. In a historic first, the Court is also travelling to Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone in mid-February 2021 to hear testimony from up to 80 witnesses and visit sites where the atrocities are alleged to have been carried out under Massaquoi's orders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massaquoi, Gibril 1970 births Sierra Leonean rebels Living people Prisoners and detainees of Finland Sierra Leonean expatriates in Finland Sierra Leonean people imprisoned abroad Special Court for Sierra Leone