PH
On Wednesday, a French court sentenced former Liberian rebel commander Kunti Kamara to 30 years in prison for violence against people and complicity in crimes against humanity.
The crimes occurred in Lofa county, north-western Liberia, between 1993 and 1994, during the First Liberian Civil War.
Civitas Maxima reports that the Court heard testimony from 22 witnesses, 9 civil parties, and 5 specialists. The organization oversees a network of national and international lawyers and detectives who work for the benefit of victims of international crimes.
Kamara was condemned to life in prison following a first trial in Paris in 2022.
His lawyers praised the shorter sentence but maintained their client’s innocence.
The 49-year-old was arrested in France in 2018.
He was a regional leader of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), a rebel group opposing former President Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front.
Approximately 250,000 people are believed to have been slain in the West African country during back-to-back hostilities from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.
Liberia’s parliament voted in early March to establish a war crimes court.
A truth and reconciliation committee suggested the formation of a special tribunal to try people accused of crimes, but no action was taken.
Senators must yet vote on the law in a country where several former warlords have held elected offices.
