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 Silas Chekera 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 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”?............................. 65 D. PROSECUTION ’S EIGHTH GROUND OF APPEAL : CUMULATIVE CONVICTIONS UNDER COUNTS TEN AND ELEVEN .....................................................................................................................67 E. PROSECUTION ’S NINTH GROUND OF APPEAL