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Rape victim testifies in Swiss court as Liberian war criminal appeals conviction

Rape victim testifies in Swiss court as Liberian war criminal appeals conviction

EMMA FARGE A woman cried as she testified to a Swiss court that a former Liberian rebel commander had raped her repeatedly during the country's civil war, on the first day of his appeal to overturn 22 convictions for war crimes. While Alieu Kosiah is appealing the 2021 ruling Swiss prosecutors are arguing that he also committed crimes against humanity, which could increase his 20-year sentence if his conviction is upheld and he is found guilty on these counts. Kosiah, who fought against former Liberian president Charles Taylor's army in the 1990s, was convicted on charges including rape, murder and…
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War crimes: France jails Liberian rebel for life

War crimes: France jails Liberian rebel for life

RIGHTS groups lauded the conviction in Paris of former Liberian rebel commander Kunti Kamara, who was sentenced to life in prison for atrocities committed during the West African country's first civil war. Kamara was found guilty on Wednesday of perpetrating torture and "barbaric acts" in 1993 when he was part of a rebel group known as the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) active during the conflict. One of his lawyers, Maryline Secci, told Reuters in an email on Thursday that she would appeal the sentence. Kamara has maintained his innocence. The Paris Criminal Court that delivered its…
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Liberian rebel sentenced for war crimes, cannibalism

Liberian rebel sentenced for war crimes, cannibalism

EMMA FARGE A Liberian rebel commander was sentenced in Switzerland to 20 years in jail for rape, killings and an act of cannibalism, in one of the only civil war-era cases from his West African country to go to trial. The case was Switzerland's first war crimes trial in a civilian court. It involved 46-year-old Alieu Kosiah who went by the nom de guerre "bluff boy" in the rebel faction ULIMO that fought former President Charles Taylor's army in the 1990s. Kosiah, faced 25 charges at the Swiss Federal Court including killings of civilians, rape and an act of cannibalism.…
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