Switzerland’s supreme court upheld a 20-year jail sentence for former Liberian rebel commander Alieu Kosiah on Friday, but overturned a conviction for crimes against humanity.
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court → uphold → humanity
In 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court found Kosiah, now 51, guilty of multiple atrocities committed during the first of Liberia’s back-to-back civil wars, in which about 250,000 people died between 1989 and 2003.
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people → find → 1989
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People → deport → future
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group → expect → Liberia
In 2023, the court’s appeals chamber upheld his 20-year sentence for war crimes and, for the first time in Swiss history, also made a new ruling that Kosiah was guilty of crimes against humanity.
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Kosiah → uphold → humanity
The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland was asked to review the case, and its verdict, dated September 28, was published on Friday.
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verdict → ask → Friday
The court “rejected the appeal filed by a high-ranking Liberian military official challenging his conviction for violations of the laws of war committed between 1993 and 1995 during the first Liberian civil war”, it said in a statement.
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it → reject → statement
“However, the court has acquitted the individual of the charge of crimes against humanity, based on a strict application of the principle of non-retroactivity.”
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court → acquit → retroactivity
Switzerland recognises the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows it to prosecute individuals suspected of international crimes, regardless of where those crimes were committed.
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crimes → recognise → crimes
The court said the offence of crimes against humanity – introduced into Swiss law in 2011 – could not be applied to acts committed before then.
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offence → say → acts
Kosiah’s conviction for violating the law of war was upheld, as was the maximum 20-year custodial sentence imposed.
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sentence → violate → war
“The decision makes final the first war crimes conviction ever handed down by a Swiss civilian court, and the first conviction anywhere of a Liberian for war crimes committed during the country’s civil wars,” said the Swiss organisation Civitas Maxima, which works to bring perpetrators of international crimes to justice.
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which → make → justice
Kosiah settled in Switzerland in the late 1990s and was arrested in 2014.
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Kosiah → settle → 2014
“Today the survivors of Alieu Kosiah’s crimes have final justice,” said Civitas Maxima director Alain Werner, who represents victims in the case.
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who → have → case
“We are, however, deeply disappointed by the acquittal on crimes against humanity.
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We → disappoint → humanity
What happened in Lofa between 1993 and 1995 is the very definition of a crime against humanity.”
Like war crimes, crimes against humanity refer to atrocities, including murder, torture and rape.
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crimes → happen → murder
However, instead of isolated or sporadic events, the charge is used for incidents carried out in a widespread or systematic way.
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charge → use → way
In the 2021 verdict, Kosiah was found guilty of a slew of war crimes committed as commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy rebel group.
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Kosiah → find → group
He ordered or participated in the killing of 17 civilians and two unarmed soldiers, as well as rape and the deployment of a child soldier, the court ruled.
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court → order → soldier
He had also ordered looting and repeatedly ordered, or had himself inflicted, cruel and humiliating treatment of civilians and mishandled corpses, according to the verdict.
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He → order → verdict
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