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ICTJ has worked in Sierra Leone since 2001, providing technical assistance to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as engaging in capacity building with civil society. The center has played an important advisory role in Sierra Leone's transitional justice initiatives, assisting in the development of sustainable strategies for accountability, prosecutions and reparations.

Background

Sierra Leone is emerging from a 10-year civil conflict marked by intense and cruel violence against civilians, corruption, struggle for control of the diamond mines, and recruitment of child soldiers. The war claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives, and the number of persons raped, mutilated or tortured is much higher. Women and girls suffered uniquely and children were singled out for abuses.

In July 1999, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel group signed the Lomé Peace Agreement (LPA) in Togo. They agreed to establish a TRC that became operational only in late 2002, although it was created by law in February 2000. The TRC submitted its final report in October 2004. However, the agreement granted an unconditional blanket amnesty for all parties, a decision which came under intense criticism.

Violence ensued several months later and the GoSL subsequently asked the UN to help establish a special court to prosecute those bearing the greatest responsibility for human rights and humanitarian law violations. The Special Court for Sierra Leone was established in January 2002, and started operations in July 2002. To date, the court has indicted 13 people including members of RUF, renegades of the military called the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, the Civil Defense Forces and former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor. As of early 2009, the court has concluded two cases (trial and appeal) and has concluded the trial phase of the RUF case. Special Court operations are expected to wind down in 2010.

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ICTJ Activity

Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission

ICTJ provided the TRC with specialized trainings on public hearings, assistance in developing approaches to the community-based reconciliation and the reparations programs and advising on the Commission's relationship with the Special Court. ICTJ also hosted an experience sharing conference with other TRCs from Ghana, Peru, South Africa, and Timor-Leste.

Since the TRC submitted the final report, ICTJ has been actively involved in efforts to advance the implementation of the recommendations. These recommendations address the underlying causes of the conflict and the challenges to peacebuilding efforts.

Reparations Program

Sierra Leone's reparations program was established by virtue of the Lomé Peace Agreement (LPA), and TRC Report. The reparations program aims at addressing the needs of victims of the war in a manner of justice "that goes beyond individual satisfaction and includes recognition for the harm suffered, as well as a sense of civic trust and social solidarity." (See Sierra Leone Report, volume 2, chapter 4, paragraph 5.). In 2007, GoSL designated the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) as the official implementing agency. Since then, ICTJ has been involved in training NaCSA officials, members of the national Human Rights Commission, victims' groups and other civil society members on reparations. These groups have attended ICTJ trainings, conferences or seminars in Ghana, Liberia, and Morocco.

In 2008, ICTJ held a series of discussions with NaCSA and IOM (the implementing partner of the reparations program) regarding collaboration. It also provided additional training for NaCSA staff on practical issues regarding setting up and operationalizing the reparations program.

Special Court for Sierra Leone

ICTJ has engaged in efforts to stimulate civil society participation in the Special Court by establishing a court monitoring program run by local activists. The Sierra Leone Court Monitoring Programme (SLCMP) issues reviews, analysis and hosts discussions of the trial proceedings at regular intervals.

Either independently or jointly, ICTJ has organized seminars, conferences, workshops on issues related to the work of the court. Participants have included judges, court officials, victims' advocacy organizations and other civil society groups. ICTJ has also provided technical advice to the court on many complex issues.

After the capture of former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor (the highest profile case) in March 2006, ICTJ publicly advocated for his trial to remain at the Special Court in Freetown rather than move to The Hague.

ICTJ has worked with partners to closely monitor the trials, and advocates making them as accessible as possible to the people in Liberia and Sierra Leone. ICTJ continues to monitor, analyze, and comment on the ongoing trials at the Special Court in Freetown and maintains close partnerships with local NGOs.

Peace-building Commission

Sierra Leone is one of three initial countries that have benefited from the newly created United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). ICTJ has been working closely with the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in New York, as well as civil society and lawmakers in Sierra Leone, encouraging them to focus on justice issues.

In 2007 and 2008, ICTJ organized seminars on capacity building on PBC issues, peacebuilding and transitional justice in Makeni and Freetown. A similar program will be hosted in Freetown in May 2009. ICTJ will produce a country overview of transitional justice and peacebuilding which will be presented by a Sierra Leonean civil society partner to the PBC Biannual Review process in New York during the summer of 2009.

Communicating Justice

ICTJ joined with the BBC World Service Trust in a project on communicating justice. In October 2007, they jointly trained 20 journalists in Freetown on how to communicate the outcome of the application of various transitional justice mechanisms. The participants also engaged in follow-up activities via online learning and local mentoring.

Civil Society Projects

The Center helped to establish an innovative project, the National Vision for Sierra Leone, in which Sierra Leoneans were invited to express their hopes for the future of the country through poems, songs, paintings, photographs, and other creative works. Participants ranged from child amputees and ex-combatants to ordinary citizens.

ICTJ has also worked to stimulate civil society interest and participation in transitional justice processes through a series of workshops and the production of a citizen's handbook on the TRC and the Special Court.

ICTJ has facilitated Sierra Leonean partners' travel to Uganda, Afghanistan and Liberia, and provided advice on transitional justice issues there. With the help of ICTJ, a local group called the Post-Conflict Reintegration Initiatives for Development (PRIDE), which has expertise in involving ex-combatants in transitional justice processes, researched ex-combatants' views of the Special Court and the TRC.

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(Updated March 2009)