FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The Sierra Leone Special Court, an independent tribunal established jointly by the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone, is convening an international conference this week in order to consider “residual issues” that will need to be addressed once the court closes down. The conference, made possible by the Canadian Government’s financial contribution, will be attended by delegates from the U.N. Security Council and Sierra Leone government officials. Other attendees include legal experts, including officials from the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, as well as diplomats, human rights workers, and members of society from Sierra Leone and the world.

A focal point of the conference is the identification of a way to prosecute Johnny Paul Koroma, should he be found after the court closes down. Koroma was indicted in 1997 for leading a military Junta which removed the former government from power. Following the coup, he led armed attacks on civilians throughout Sierra Leone, including murders, mutilations and sexual violence. Koroma’s present status is “in hiding or dead, fate uncertain.”

Other questions to be addressed at the conference include issues arising from the enforcement of sentences, how requests for reviews of judgment would take place and witness protection for those who testify before the Court.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Sierra Leone: Special Court Convenes International Conference to Consider Residual Issues – 19 February 2008

Trial Watch – Johnny Paul Koroma – accessed 20 February 2008

Afrol News – Tortured journalist flees Gambia – 19 February 2008