The war crimes tribunal of Alieu Kosiah, the former commander of the United Liberation has Movement of Liberia for Democracy, has been postponed from April till June-July due to concerns over the Coronavirus.
Kosiah was initially arrested in November 2014 whilst in Switzerland. He has been charged with killing and raping civilians as well as recruiting child soldiers, and ordering for cruel treatment of civilians during the period of 1993-5, during the first Liberian civil war (1989-1996).
Hassan Bility, director of the GJRP (Global Justice and Research Project) claimed that this trial was “historical case for both Liberia and Switzerland. In Liberia there has been no accountability for war crimes during the period however, other European countries have been successful in pursuing convictions under universal jurisdiction. Charles Taylor, a former Liberian president, was convicted in a Special Court for Sierra Leon for atrocities he had committed there and is currently serving 50 years. It is also historic for Switzerland as it is the first international criminal trial in a non-military Swiss court.
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