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SCSL 20th Anniversary

Twentieth Anniversary Commemoration and Formal Opening of the Peace Museum Memorial Garden

CONCEPT:

 On 16 January 2002, the United Nations and the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone signed an historic agreement providing for the establishment of a Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). This happened two days before the burning of arms on 18 January, to mark the end of the 11-year armed conflict. The mandate of the SCSL was to prosecute those persons bearing greatest responsibility for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law as well Sierra Leonean law committed during the conflict in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996. 

The SCSL would go on to investigate, prosecute and convict several leaders from the three main warring factions in the Sierra Leone conflict as well as the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor. Most of the convicts received lengthy prison sentences. All but one of them was transferred to Rwanda to serve their sentences, pursuant to an enforcement of sentence agreement between the SCSL and the Government of Rwanda. In addition to its trials, which were completed in December 2013, the SCSL is widely recognized for introducing a more credible hybrid or mixed ad hoc tribunal model of accountability for international crimes and for its contribution of important judicial precedents to the development of international criminal law and justice. 

16 January 2022 would mark the twentieth anniversary of the signing, in the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, of the first bilateral treaty between the United Nations and one of its member states providing for the innovative a) establishment of an ad hoc penal tribunal to prosecute atrocity crimes, b) using a mix of national and international law, as well as c) employing a mix of national and international prosecutors, judges and staff. On that occasion, the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone together with the Center for International Law and Policy in Africa, will convene a commemoration of that historic moment as well as the end of the war in the march forward for the rule of law in Sierra Leone. 

The twentieth anniversary would also be an opportunity for victims associations as well as high level Sierra Leonean government and United Nations officials, and members of the diplomatic community, academia and civil society, to mark the completion and opening of the memorial garden located in the former SCSL premises in New England. It would provide a chance to reflect on and take stock of the accomplishments and legacy of the SCSL as well as to honor the memory of the many victims of the notoriously brutal Sierra Leonean conflict which lasted between March 1991 and January 2002. 

PROGRAM – RSCSL Premises / Sierra Leone Peace Museum New England, Freetown 

Tuesday, 18 January 2022 

Morning Session 

09:30 – 10:00  Registration 

10:00 – 10:10   Welcome and opening remarks: 

                               Ms. Binta Mansaray, Registrar, RSCSL 

10:10 – 10:15    Introductory remarks: 

                                Prof. Charles C. Jalloh, Founder, CILPA and Professor, Florida International University and Member,
                                United Nations International Law Commission 

Concurrent Panels 

10:15 – 11:30    Reflections on the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone – Panel 1 

                               Moderator: Prof. Charles C. Jalloh 

                               Panelists: 

                               Mrs. Bernadette French, Director of Programs, Campaign for Good Governance  

                               Mr. James C. Johnson, Prosecutor, RSCSL 

                               Mr. Ibrahim Yillah, Principal Defender, RSCSL 

                               Representative of CSOs – Mr. Abdul Rahim Kamara, Executive Director, Manifesto 99 

                               Representative of Paramount Chiefs 

                              Representative from Academia – Mr. Abubakarr Koroma, Head of Department of Law, University of Makeni 

10:15 – 11:30  Reflections on the Legacy of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission – Panel 2 

                             Moderator: Mr. Joseph F. Kamara, Former Deputy Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone 

                             Panelists: 

                             Mr. Stephen J. Rapp, former SCSL Prosecutor and United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice 

                             Prof. William A. Schabas, Middlesex University and former Commissioner, Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission 

                             Ms. Yasmin Jusu Sheriff, former Executive Secretary, Interim Secretariat Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission 

                             Representative from Academia – Mr. Rashid Dumbuya, Lecturer, Department of Law, Fourah Bay College 

                             Representative of Paramount Chiefs 

                             Representative of CSOs – Mr. Victor Ngegba, Secretary, Sierra Leone War Wounded and Amputees Association 

11:30 – 12:15  Q & A / Discussion 

12:15 – 1:30    Commemoration Luncheon 

Afternoon Session 

1:30 – 2:30    Keynote Speeches / Statements 

                           Welcome Statement: Justice Jon Kamanda, President RSCSL 

                           Mr. Anthony Y. Brewah, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of Republic of Sierra Leone 

                           Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel, United Nations 

                           Amb. Madam Musu Jatu Ruhle, Dean of Diplomatic Corps 

                           Mr. David Crane, First Prosecutor, SCSL 

                           Ms. Simone Monasebian, First Principal Defender, SCSL 

2:30 3:00    Guided Memorial Garden tour 

                           Prayers – Muslim & Christian 

                           Welcome and Tour of the Memorial Garden  

                           Dedication of the Memorial Garden (Attorney-General, President of RSCSL and Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone) 

                           Unveiling of Symbolic Graves 

                           National Anthem – Sierra Leone Police Band 

Concept Note and Agenda

Past Events

Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone Legacy Conference

Wednesday, 27 February - 28 February 2024, Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone

The Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone (RSCSL) in collaboration with multiple partners, including the Center for International Law and Policy in Africa (CILPA) hosted a Legacy Conference at their premises in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the 27th and 28th of February 2024. 

CILPA Office Grand Opening and ICC-Africa Paper Launch

Wednesday, 6 March 2024, 09:00 – 13:00 GMT, 1 Abib Drive, SS Camp, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Having operated internationally for three years, CILPA was proud to announce the official opening of its own offices in Freetown, Sierra Leone at 1 Abib Drive, SS Camp, Freetown. It was also an opportunity for the Consultants from  CILPA's ICC-Africa project to present their papers. 

African Perspectives on International Climate Change Law

Friday, 29 March 2024, 8:30 – 17:00 EST, Harvard Law School, Austin 111, Cambridge, USA

The Center for International Law & Policy in Africa (CILPA), along with the Human Rights Program (Harvard Law School) and the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape, co-organized an all-day academic symposium on “African Perspectives on International Climate Change Law” as part of Harvard Law School’s series of Climate Justice Events. 

CILPA Occasional Papers Presentation: Bringing the African Perspective to the ICC Reform Discussion

December 6, 2023 New York City, USA

Consultants from CILPA’s ICC-Africa Project presented their papers at a side event to the twenty-second session of the Assembly of States Parties organized by CILPA, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, with the aim of bringing African perspectives to the ongoing ICC reform discourse .

Necessary Voices, Missed Opportunities?

Strengthening the Engagement of Global South States with the Work of the International Law Commission

October 30, 2023 New York City, USA

CILPA in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Mexico and Sierra Leone to the United Nations in New York hosted an interactive dialogue on Strengthening the Engagement of Global South States with the work of the International Law Commission on the margins of the International Law Week in New York.

The Current and Future work of the International Law Commission

November 4- 5, 2022 Miami, USA

The Florida International University College of Law (“FIU Law”), together with the CILPA convened a public symposium in Miami to discuss The Current and Future Work of the International Law Commission which was followed by a private  workshop on upcoming ILC topics. Special Rapporteurs represented their work in discussion with panelists from practice and academia.

Role of Regional and International Codification Bodies in the Development of International Law

October 26, 2022  New York City, USA

CILPA in collaboration with the Office of Legal Counsel of the African Union Commission organized an interactive dialogue in New York for members from the AUCIL, CAHDI, and the ILC, along with representatives of States and academia, to engage in a preliminary dialogue  with the view to determining what further collaboration might hold for the further codification and progressive development of regional and international law in Africa and internationally. 

Universal Criminal Jurisdiction: A Key Tool in the Fight Against Impunity for Atrocity Crimes in Ukraine and Beyond?

October 25, 2022 New York City, USA

CILPA and the International Bar Association – 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?, 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. 

Independent Expert Workshop: Bringing the African Perspective to the ICC Reform Discussion

October 7 - 8, 2022 Freetown, Sierra Leone

CILPA commissioned three independent consultants to conduct research into the experience of African States with the aim of identifying key concerns about the ICC reform process and proposing strategic recommendations to feed into the ongoing ICC reform discourse. Bringing together the consultants and invited legal experts, predominantly based in Africa, the Workshop was a working session with detailed examination of specific themes and provisions identified by the consultants.

Independent Expert Workshop: Draft Rules Of Procedure and the Elements of Crimes for the African Court of Justice and Human and Peoples’ Rights

May 13-14, 2022
The Hague, Netherlands

The Independent expert meeting brought together the legal experts who prepared the first drafts of the Rules of Procedure and the Elements of Crime documents in the ACRI Project , the consultant reviewer, and select expert practitioners with relevant experience in the African Court and issues of international dispute settlement. 

SCSL 20th Anniversary - Commemoration and Formal Opening of the Peace Museum Memorial Garden

January 18, 2022 Freetown, Sierra Leone

On 16 January 2002, the United Nations and the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone signed an historic agreement providing for the establishment of a Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). 16 January 2022  marked the twentieth anniversary of this signing and to celebrate this event CILPA and The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone convened a commemoration.

SCSL LEGACY - The Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone

December 17, 2020 Freetown, 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. 

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