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FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The hearings in the war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi got underway on Tuesday after a two week delay because of judges’ illness.
The court, held at a secret location, as it had been in Monrovia, heard from three witnesses – a woman and two men. Defence and prosecution teams tried to establish whether Massaquoi could have been in Liberia to commit crimes in 2003 as many Liberian witnesses claimed but while Massaquoi was under witness protection in Freetown.
The second witness, codenamed “21”, to protect him from intimidation was called by the Defence team. A male he had been a close friend of Massaquoi whom he got to know him in 1999 after Massaquoi was freed from prison here.
“Massaquoi Could Not Have Been In Liberia In 2002 When He Feared For His Life”
“Massaquoi Could Not Have Been In Liberia In 2002 When He Feared For His Life”
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Gibril Massaquoi remains in Finland during the Sierra Leone hearings in his war crimes trial. Leslie Lumeh/New Narratives
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The hearings in the war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi got underway on Tuesday after a two week delay because of judges’ illness. The court, held at a secret location, as it had been in Monrovia, heard from three witnesses – a woman and two men. Defense and prosecution teams tried to establish whether Massaquoi could have been in Liberia to commit crimes in 2003 as many Liberian witnesses claimed but while Massaquoi was under witness protection in Freetown.
Hassan Bility was the first to say that Gibril Massaquoi was known as “Angel Gabriel”. Up until 2018, he was the only one. His testimony was the basis for investigations that led to the trial of the former Sierra Leonean rebel commander in a Finnish court. On April 7, the testimony of this renowned human rights activist concluded two months of hearings relocated to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.