VZCZCXRO1030
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0387 1711938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201938Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1159
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0243
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0072
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS FREETOWN 000387 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W, DRL, S/WCI 
 
E.O. 12958 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM PINR SL
SUBJECT: SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE DELIVERS FIRST VERDICT 
 
 
¶1. (U) On June 20, three judges in Trial Chamber II of the Special 
Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) delivered a guilty verdict against 
three former leaders of the renegade Armed Forces Revolutionary 
Council (AFRC) who were on trial accused of war crimes and other 
serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra 
Leonean law. 
 
¶2. (U) The AFRC were renegade soldiers from the Sierra Leonean Army 
that overthrew the Government of Sierra Leone on May 25, 1997, and 
subsequently entered into an alliance and joined forces with the 
Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the rebel group that invaded 
Sierra Leone from Liberia in 1991, with Charles Taylor's support.  A 
third armed faction, the Civil Defense Forces (CDF), was a 
pro-government paramilitary force that fought against the combined 
forces of the AFRC and the RUF. A verdict in the CDF trial is 
expected in July. 
 
¶3. (U) During the trial, which began in March 2005, the prosecution 
called 59 witnesses to the stand, while the defense called 87 
witnesses. The case hearings were concluded on October 27, 2006. 
 
¶4. (U) The three former AFRC leaders, Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy 
Kamara and Santigie Kanu, were all found guilty of 11 of 14 counts 
against them. This is the first verdict the SCSL has delivered since 
its inception in 2002. The defendants were not convicted of sexual 
slavery as a crime against human dignity, but were found guilty of 
sexual slavery under another count. 
 
¶5. (U) Before reading the verdict, Justice Julia Sebutinde, a 
British-trained Ugandan lawyer, gave a brief recap of the court's 
mandate and trial proceedings before asking each of the accused to 
stand up. As she read the verdict, the accused appeared 
expressionless, as if resigned to their fate. Judge Sebutinde 
announced that sentencing had been scheduled for July 16. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Prosecutor Stephen Rapp told the Ambassador that although 
he does not yet have the text of the judgment, he intends to appeal 
the court's opinion that the prosecution's accusation of a joint 
criminal enterprise was improperly presented. Although this did not 
affect the verdict, Rapp considers this a critical point of 
contention for other trials, particularly as it has been used 
effectively in other war crimes courts. 
 
¶7. (U) There was a significant security presence at the Court. Those 
in attendance included Sierra Leone human rights organizations, 
journalists, victims, and family members of the accused. Reactions 
in the court room mostly supported the verdict, as did people's 
reactions on the streets of Freetown. 
 
¶8. (U) The three judges from Trial Chamber II are scheduled to 
depart Freetown tomorrow for The Hague to resume the Charles Taylor 
case on June 25. Prosecutor Rapp will remain in Freetown. Brenda 
Hollis will lead the prosecution team in The Hague. That trial is 
expected to conclude by the end of 2008, with a verdict to follow in 
the first half of 2009. 
 
HULL