The trial of Gibril Massaquoi, a former Sierra Leonean rebel commander who is accused of committing war crimes in Liberia, began on Wednesday in the Finnish city of Tampere.
Mr Massaquoi, 51, entered the Pirkanmaa District Court shortly after 10 a.m .local time, wearing a grey pinstripe suit and a face mask. The session commenced with an official reading of the charges levelled against him by State Prosecutor, Tom Laitinen.
A former commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), his charges include war crimes and crimes against humanity between 1999 and 2003. He is accused of committing and commanding the murder and rape of civilians. Among the murder charges is the killing of dozens of civilians and raping of seven women in the village of Kamatahun, Lofa County. The charges also include several allegations of cannibalism.
As the charges were being read, Mr Massaquoi’s attention was fixed on his court-assigned translator sitting next to him. A translator is tasked with interpreting the Finnish proceedings in English to him throughout the trial.
Mr Massaquoi’s defence team denies the charges. “The defence is based on written evidence,” said Kaarle Gummerus, his lead lawyer, in a brief response. Speaking to Finnish reporters outside the courtroom, Gummerus repeated the defence’s argument that Mr Massaquoi was not present in Liberia during the time that the crimes allegedly took place.
The first part of the trial in Finland will conclude on February 12. After this, the court will travel to Liberia to hear witnesses there. Laitinen told reporters that this was found to be the most suitable solution, as moving the relatively small court to Liberia was more manageable than moving the extensive number of witnesses from Liberia to Finland.
“We will hear witnesses of both the prosecution and the defense,” Laitinen said. “It will be interesting to see, once we get to speak with the witnesses in the courtroom, how the…
Read the full article at www.premiumtimesng.com
