Liberian War Criminal Kosiah Rejects Swiss Court Conviction; Claims Plaintiffs Lied
Liberian War Criminal Kosiah Rejects Swiss Court Conviction; Claims Plaintiffs Lied
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Alieu Kosiah in court with defense lawyer Dimitri Gianoli Leslie Lumeh/New Narratives
MONROVIA – Alieu Kosiah, sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for atrocities committed when he was a commander of the rebel group Ulimo during the Liberian civil war, has lashed out at the justice activists who helped bring the case against him.
By New Narratives staff and Anthony Stephens, Power TV/FM
In a WhatsApp message to New Narratives, Dimitri Gianoli, Kosiah’s lawyer, said his client was “very disappointed by the decision of the Federal Criminal Court” in Switzerland where he was convicted of all but four of the 25 charges brought against him by seven Liberian victims. The three-judge panel found the former rebel commander had ordered or committed 19 murders, organized several forced transfers
Liberian War Criminal Kosiah Rejects Swiss Court Conviction; Claims Plaintiffs Lied
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Liberian war criminal Kosiah rejects Swiss court conviction, claims plaintiffs lied
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By James Harding Giahyue, New Narratives Senior Justice Correspondent
BELLINZONA, Switzerland â The defense team of Alieu Kosiah has pointed to âerrorsâ and âcontradictionsâ between stories witnesses told Swiss investigators in the war crimes case and the testimonies they have given in court, saying the inconsistencies undermine the case against their client and the Swiss Federal Criminal Court should acquit their client.
Dmitri Gianoli, Kosiahâs main lawyer, told the court the stories of the seven Liberians that focused on crimes allegedly committed in Lofa by Kosiah and ULIMO rebels under his command, were different from what they told investigators in the case in the Swiss capital city of Bern in 2014. Furthermore, the witnesses did not agree with each other.
Judgment awaited in Alieu Kosiah war crimes trial
8 March 2021By Antoine Harari, special envoy in Bellinzona (Switzerland)
The trial of former Liberian rebel fighter Alieu Kosiah ended on March 5 in Switzerland. Accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the early 1990s in Liberia, Kosiah denied being present at the time of the events and claimed there was a conspiracy. The victims did not matter to him at the time and they still do not matter today, replied the victims lawyers. A verdict is expected in a few weeks’ time.
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