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Typhoid delays Massaquoi war crimes hearings in Sierra Leone
Massaquoi is being prosecuted in Finland for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Liberia. 3 min read
The Finnish court trying Sierra Leonean Gibril Massaquoi for war crimes allegedly committed in Liberia has delayed hearings by nearly two weeks because of acute illness of two of the four judges, including Presiding Judge Juhani Paiho.
The Freetown hearings of the trial which began in Finland in February were to begin on April 28 but they have been pushed back each day since then as the judges recovered. The latest start date is now set for May 11.
TAMPERE, Finland – Gibril Massaquoi’s frustration at facing war crimes charges that could send him to jail for life came through on his second day of testimony Friday. The 51-year-old, who must have thought his risk of war crimes charges ended when he was settled in Finland in return for testimony that helped convict former Liberian President Charles Taylor and others in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, snapped at Finnish State Prosecutor Tom Laitinen’s questions.
“You are the one that’s missing the point,” he snapped at Laitinen, saying that the prosecutor was mixing the roles that different parties to the conflict had played. Laitinen was challenging the defense’s description of the routes taken by Massaquoi as part of delegation for the Sierra Leonean rebel group the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) that traveled between Sierra Leone and Liberia during Sierra Leone’s peace process in 2000 and early 2001. Massaquoi’s defense is seeking to show from his trave
Frustration shows on final day of Massaquoi trial in Finland
Mr Massaquoi is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and aggravated rape. 4 min read
Gibril Massaquoi’s frustration at facing war crimes charges that could send him to jail for life came through on his second day of testimony Friday. The 51-year-old, who must have thought his risk of war crimes charges ended when he was settled in Finland in return for testimony that helped convict former Liberian President Charles Taylor and others in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, snapped at Finnish State Prosecutor Tom Laitinen’s questions.
Prosecution Alleges Massaquoi Directed Witnesses in War Crimes Trial
Sierra Leonean Gibril Massaquoi, 51, is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. 3 min read
Prosecutors in the war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi alleged Friday that the defendant tried to influence witnesses in the case.
State Prosecutor Tom Laitinen told presiding judge Juhani Paiho that a cleaner at the prison where Mr Massaquoi was being held in pretrial detention found handwritten notes in the restroom of the family meeting area, following a meeting Mr Massaquoi had with family on September 30th.
“It turned out that these notes were written by Massaquoi and contained detailed instructions for the witnesses on the case,” Mr Laitinen said. The notes were submitted into evidence with the police pre-trial investigation materials which totalled 3800 pages.