SCSL LEGACY
The Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
CILPA hosted a symposium, on 17 December 2020 in Freetown, on The Legal Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The purpose of this symposium was to examine, from a national perspective, whether the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), which was established jointly through an unprecedented bilateral treaty between the United Nations (UN) and the Government of Sierra Leone in January 2002 and completed its work in December 2013, left a legal legacy for the jurisprudence and practice for the nascent and still unsettled field of international criminal law. With the goal of advancing Sierra Leonean perspectives on the achievements and challenges that confronted the SCSL, and the role that the SCSL played in the country’s transition from conflict to peace, leading experts on the SCSL discussed lessons learned for Sierra Leone as well as other post-conflict situations in Africa and other regions of the world.
Two central themes guided the symposium discussions which was divided into two panels. The first theme, which looked back, assessed whether the SCSL as a mixed national-International penal tribunal made useful jurisprudential contributions on key legal questions with wider implications for the field of international law. In the main, we focused on the impact of the SCSL judicial rulings on greatest responsibility personal jurisdiction, the war crime of child recruitment, forced marriage as a crime against humanity, amnesty, immunity and the relationship between truth commissions and criminal courts.
The second theme, which was more forward looking, sought to assess the continued relevance of the SCSL’s innovative “hybrid” model as States from different regions contemplate how best to fulfill the present demands for accountability. These range from Guinea to Liberia, from the Central African Republic to South Sudan, to Syria and Myanmar. The symposium and book launch, which brought together leading Sierra Leonean experts from academia, legal practice and civil society, should advance greater public understanding of the SCSL’s significant contributions to post-conflict Sierra Leone as well as to the field of international criminal law and justice.
A new book on the symposium theme, The Legal Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (Cambridge, July 2020) by Professor Charles C. Jalloh, who was the keynote speaker, was also launched at the event. Copies of the book were made available to participants.
Past Events
The Current and Future work of the International Law Commission
The Florida International University College of Law (“FIU Law”), together with the Center for International Law and Policy in Africa (“CILPA”) convened a public symposium in Miami, Florida on Friday November 4, 2022, and online to discuss The Current and Future Work of the International Law Commission.
Universal Criminal Jurisdiction: A Key Tool in the Fight Against Impunity for Atrocity Crimes in Ukraine and Beyond?
The Center for International Law and Policy in Africa and the International Bar Association –and hosted by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP – convened an interactive dialogue on Universal Criminal Jurisdiction: A Key Tool in the Fight for Atrocity Crimes in Ukraine and Beyond?, on Tuesday, October 25th in New York, and online. The discussion reflected a range of perspectives from academia, State representatives, experts from the International Law Commission and global civil society.
The ICC Colloquium Series Africa, the Ukraine Crisis, and International Law: Quo Vadis?
The Center for International Law and Policy in Africa (CILPA), with the co-sponsorship of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy (Nuremberg Academy), launched a series of roundtable discussions exploring International Law and the Use of Force, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine
ICC Colloquium Series: The ICC Prosecutor Election Process: A Post-Mortem on 29 March 2021.
The roundtable discussion was facilitated by Professor Charles Jalloh with commentary by Angela Mudukuti, Open Society Foundation; Ambassador Sabine Nölke, Chair, ICC Committee on the Election of the Prosecutor; and Owiso Owiso, PhD Candidate University of Luxembourg.
Sierra Leone's Accession to the New York Convention: Significance, Opportunities, Challenges and Next Steps on 25 February 2021.
The keynote speech was delivered by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone, the Hon. Anthony Y. Brewah, Esq.
Symposium and Book Launch: The Legal Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone on 17 December 2020.
The keynote speech was delivered by Member of the International Law Commission, Professor at Florida International University College of Law, and author Dr. Charles C. Jalloh.