BRIMA BRIMA BAZZY KAMARA SANTIGIE BORBOR KANU (Case No
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O SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE IN THE APPEALS CHAMBER Before : Justice George Gelaga King, Presiding Judge Justice Emmanuel Ayoola Justice Renate Winter Justice Raja Fernando Justice Jon M. Kamanda Registrar : Herman von Hebel Date : 22 February 2008 PROSECUTOR Against ALEX TAMBA BRIMA BRIMA BAZZY KAMARA SANTIGIE BORBOR KANU (Case No. SCSL-2004-16-A) JUDGMENT Office of the Prosecutor : Defence Counsel for Alex Tamba Brima: Dr. Christopher Staker Kojo Graham Mr. Karim Agha Mr. Chile Eboe-Osuji Ms. Anne Althaus Defence Counsel for Brima Bazzy Kamara : Andrew Daniels Defence Counsel for Santigie Borbor Kanu : Ajibola E. Manly-Spain PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/4420ef/ Silas Chekera Case No. SCSL-2004-16-A CONFIDENTIAL2 DRAFT 24/06/2009 PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/4420ef/ CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 5 A. THE SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE ..................................................................................... 5 B. THE ARMED CONFLICT IN SIERRA LEONE .................................................................................... 6 C. THE TRIAL PROCEEDINGS ............................................................................................................. 8 1. The Indictment ......................................................................................................................... 8 2. The Accused........................................................................................................................... 10 3. Judgment ................................................................................................................................ 11 4. Verdict.................................................................................................................................... 11 5. Sentence ................................................................................................................................. 12 II. THE APPEALS ........................................................................................................................... 13 A. THE PROSECUTION ’S GROUNDS OF APPEAL ............................................................................... 13 B. BRIMA ’S GROUNDS OF APPEAL .................................................................................................. 13 C. KAMARA ’S GROUNDS OF APPEAL .............................................................................................. 14 D. KANU ’S GROUNDS OF APPEAL ................................................................................................... 14 E. COMMON DEFECTS IN THE BRIMA AND KAMARA GROUNDS OF APPEAL .................................... 15 III. COMMON GROUNDS OF APPEAL RELATING TO THE INDICTMENT ................... 15 A. ISSUES ARISING FROM THE COMMON GROUNDS OF APPEAL ...................................................... 15 1. Applicable Principles ............................................................................................................. 16 (a) Specificity............................................................................................................................... 16 (b) Exception to Specificity ......................................................................................................... 16 2. Challenges to an Indictment on Appeal ................................................................................. 17 B. PROSECUTION ’S SECOND GROUND OF APPEAL : LOCATIONS NOT PLEADED IN THE INDICTMENT 18 1. Trial Chamber’s Findings ...................................................................................................... 18 2. Submissions of the Parties ..................................................................................................... 19 (a) Prosecution’s Submissions ..................................................................................................... 19 (b) Response of the Accused ....................................................................................................... 21 3. Discussion: Reversal of a Previous Interlocutory Decision ................................................... 22 C. PROSECUTION ’S FOURTH GROUND OF APPEAL AND KANU ’S TENTH GROUND OF APPEAL : JOINT CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE ................................................................................................... 23 1. Trial Chamber’s Findings ...................................................................................................... 23 2. Submission of the Parties ....................................................................................................... 24 3. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 26 4. Disposition ............................................................................................................................. 31 D. PROSECUTION ’S SIXTH GROUND OF APPEAL : THE DUPLICITY OF COUNT 7 ............................... 31 1. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 35 E. KANU ’S SECOND GROUND OF APPEAL : WAIVER OF INDICTMENT DEFECTS ............................... 38 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 39 IV. COMMON ISSUES OF FACT: EVALUATION OF EVIDENCE AND WITNESS CREDIBILITY .......................................................................................................................... 40 A. BRIMA ’S NINTH , TENTH AND ELEVENTH GROUNDS OF APPEAL : EVALUATION OF EVIDENCE .... 40 1. Brima’s Ninth Ground of Appeal .......................................................................................... 40 (a) Submissions of the Parties ...................................................................................................... 40 (b) Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 41 2. Brima’s Tenth and Eleventh Grounds of Appeal: Failure to Consider the Rivalry Between Brima and Witness TF1-334 ............................................................................................... 42 1 Case No. SCSL-2004-16-A 3 March 2008 PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/4420ef/ B. KAMARA ’S EIGHTH GROUND OF APPEAL : CREDIBILITY OF PROSECUTION WITNESSES .............. 42 1. Submissions of the Parties ..................................................................................................... 42 2. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 43 (a) The Trial Chamber’s Approach to Accomplice Evidence ..................................................... 43 (b) Evaluation of the Evidence of Prosecution Witnesses ........................................................... 46 C. KANU ’S THIRD GROUND OF APPEAL : EVALUATION OF DEFENCE EVIDENCE .............................. 49 1. Submissions of the Parties ..................................................................................................... 49 2. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 49 D. KANU ’S FOURTH GROUND OF APPEAL : EVIDENCE OF ACCOMPLICE WITNESSES ....................... 52 1. Submissions of the Parties ..................................................................................................... 52 2. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 53 V. THE PROSECUTION’S APPEAL ........................................................................................... 53 A. PROSECUTION ’S FIRST AND THIRD GROUNDS OF APPEAL : THE “B OMBALI -FREETOWN CAMPAIGN ” AND KAMARA ’S ALLEGED RESPONSIBILITY UNDER ARTICLE 6(1) FOR CRIMES COMMITTED IN PORT LOKO DISTRICT ...................................................................................... 53 B. PROSECUTION ’S FIFTH GROUND OF APPEAL : THE “E NSLAVEMENT CRIMES ” AS ACTS OF TERROR AND COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT .................................................................................. 55 1. Trial Chamber Findings ......................................................................................................... 55 2. Submissions of the Parties ..................................................................................................... 55 3. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 55 C. PROSECUTION ’S SEVENTH GROUND OF APPEAL : FORCED MARRIAGE ........................................ 56 1. The Trial Chamber’s Findings and Submissions of the Parties ............................................. 56 2. Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 58 (a) The Nature of “Forced Marriage” in the Sierra Leone Conflict and its Distinction from Sexual Slavery ...................................................................................................................... 61 (b) Does Forced Marriage Satisfy the Elements of “Other Inhumane Acts”? ............................