Sierra Leonean Heads UN Special Court’s Prosecution Team
UN Special Court Chief Prosecutor Joseph Kamara
Joseph Kamara, Deputy Prosecutor at the UN backed Special Court in Sierra Leone, a Sierra Leonean in his 40s have been appointed Acting Prosecutor by the UN Secretary General with effect from 8th September, 2009. He leads the entire prosecution in the Special Court. He succeeded Stephen Rapp who resigned to become the US Ambassador-at-Large for war crimes. Others who have served in that position include David Crane and Desmond De Silver.
He joined the Special Court Office of the Prosecution in 2004 after working 8 years in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution as state-counsel, senior-state-counsel, in private practice and with several law firms in Washington, D.C. In 2005 he led the Civil Defense Force Prosecution Team as Senior Trial Attorney and was appointed Deputy Prosecutor in 2008. Speaking to Newstime Africa, Kamara identified his immediate focus as pursuing right prosecutorial strategies with fairness and justice to bring the Taylor’s trial to a successful conclusion by 2010.
Highlighting some of the legacies of the Special Court, Kamara pointed the enforcement of the rule of law in Sierra Leone. He continued that the Court indicted a government minister, a sitting head of state, rebels and soldiers and they were all given fair trials. (No man is above the law, he noted). The Court also established justice and fair play for the victims. In addition, the Court is the first international tribunal that prosecuted recruitment of child soldiers, force marriage and sexual slavery.
This, coupled with the regular briefings to parliament on the workings of the Court and the Rome Statute, contributed in no small way to the enactment of the 2007 Child Rights Act and Gender Acts by the Sierra Leone Parliament. He assured that trained staff of the Court who will be going into other spheres of work at the close of the Court will undoubtedly exhibit their expertise which will certainly add to the national output.
The Court also provides capacity building training to the judiciary, police, prisons, Anti-Corruption Commission, et al. It also modelled the course structure at the Sierra Leone Law School, where Kamara voluntarily lectures ‘International Criminal Law and Procedures’, to reflect international standard. The Court also has successfully incorporated ‘International Humanitarian Law’ into the University curriculum. Through a memorandum of understanding between the University and the Court, senior legal practitioners deliver public lectures at the University from time to time.
He noted that the AFRC and CDF cases have been closed and that appeal judgments for the RUF cases are due in October, 2009. For security reasons and the fact prisons for ICC convicts should meet international requirements, convicts will serve their jail terms in Rwanda or Sweden. They will be moved by the first quarter of 2010. He speculated that the court will wrap up in the first quarter of 2011 or before that. The Court building in Freetown will be the property of the Government of Sierra Leone which can be used as wish.
As President of the BAR Association, his immediate challenges are lifting the standards of legal practice in Sierra Leone. This will involve the introduction of a code of ethics which all lawyers will abide to, facilitating training and exchange programmes for young lawyers, the setting up of a standard law library and availing the jurisprudence of the Special Court to all lawyers so as to deepen their understanding of international justice system.
The Special Court is an independent tribunal established jointly by the UN and the Government of Sierra Leone to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone after 30th November. In similar UN trials such as in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, indigenous legal practitioners were never appointed to such a high office. So, Joseph Kamara’s appointment is a test case but he is confident that with his good team of competent and committed staff, he is determined to live up to expectations.
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