The human rights and humanitarian law dimension of the conflict will also be addressed. Harmonizing customary justice with the international rule of law. By the wars end in january 2000, an estimated 5075,000 people. The overriding objectives of the above mentioned instrument are. How did the selection panel choose the sierra leonean commissioners. South african government and state were in full control, the owners and drivers of. The commission recommended the establishment of a reparations program and an implementing agency. As a result many people are forced to languish in prison cells and police lockups for inordinately long periods. The mechanism responsible for addressing this question in sierra leone is the truth and reconciliation commission trc. Leone 19911995 sierra leone 19962000 subsaharan africa average4 average 19962000 nonfrancophone africa. Britain doubles sierra leone force world news the guardian. The truth and reconciliation commission act 2000 being an act to establish the truth and reconciliation commission in line with article xxvi of the lome peace agreement and to provide for related matters.
Indiscriminate killing, rape and sexual slavery, the use of children as. Conflict sensitivity in gaza archives and dealing with the past. Truth and reconciliation commission report for the. Sierra leone was the 10 th largest producer of diamond and the third largest producer of rutile in the world in 2010. Children and the truth and reconciliation commission for. In february 2000, the president and parliament of sierra leone enacted the truth. The truth and reconciliation commission act of 2000 the act or the trc act charged. Investigate the causes, nature, and extent of the violence that occurred during the civil war. The trc was established by sierra leones truth and reconciliation commission act 2000 feb. Arti cle xxvi of the lome peace agreement provided for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission to meet these different needs. Statement takers were provided with a manual for guidance and reference. State salaries, pensions, gratuities and other benefits act, 2003 truth and reconciliation act. The mandate of the sierra leone truth and reconciliation commission trc or commission was then set out in several sections of the enabling legislation, the trc act, adopted in 2000 by the parliament of sierra leone.
Harmonizing customary justice with the international rule. A royal navy taskforce with 500 troops arrived off the sierra leone coast yesterday as doubts deepened about the commitment of rebels to a ceasefire signed two days earlier. Most sierra leoneans are unable to pay for the services of solicitors. Trc act, 2000, part v, 152 they followed from the commissions work between 2000 and 2004 with initial delays, which included considerable research into the causes of sierra leone s 19912001 conflict, along with testimony from victims and from perpetrators of human rights abuses and with thematic institutional hearings. Special court for sierra leone global policy forum. During the commissions thematic hearings on children, the childrens forum network cfn called on the commission to produce a childfriendly version of the truth and reconciliation commission report, which could be used by teachers and childrens organisations, such as the childrens forum network, to disseminate the findings and recommendations of the commission to the children of sierra leone.
The truth and reconciliation commission in postconflict. The chapter of this report entitled mandate sets out in detail the mandate of the commission as provided for by the act, including the context of the establishment of the commission. Section 71 of the truth and reconciliation commission act 2000 discusses the functions of the commission, which it says shall include the following three components. Sierra leone also bears the scars of more than 40 years of postcolonial bad governance. Mineral resources are fairly well distributed and include diamonds, chromite, and reserves of rutile titanium dioxide that are among the worlds largest. Building peace through accountability in sierra leone. The full text of the trc report is available on the sierra leone web.
In particular, the recommendations are intended to help. Sierra leone is the rst country where a truth commission operated. Chapter three gives a general description of truth commissions and analyse the trc with. In 2004, the government of sierra leone enacted an investment promotion act no. Such a program is difficult to create as there are a number of victims on both. Sierra leone flaws in the administration of justice. Sierra leone and liberia each experienced a devastating civil. Registering a new company in sierra leone is done through the corporate affairs commission whilst we can be your trusted partners on the ground to assist you in incorporating an optimal corporate structure in sierra leone. Links provide access to primary documents, legal commentary, and general government information about specific jurisdictions and. The law that set up the trc the truth and reconciliation act of 2000 requires. Regarding the archives of the trc, the act to establish the truth and. At the start of public hearings of sierra leones truth and reconciliation commission trc on april 14 this year, president ahmed tejan kabbah, said that the most important accomplishment of the commission would be the reconciling of our population, and ensuring that sierra leone shall never again experience the evils of the past 11 years. The amendment added new crimes for indictments, stiffer penalties, and gave the anticorruption commission acc greater independence to investigate cases at every level. The truth and reconciliation commission act of 2000 requires any.
Extract from the poem i saw by mohamed sekoya, submitted to the national vision for sierra leoneas part of the countrys reconciliation efforts, sierra leone has made available records of its trcs process on a newly launched website. The trcs contribution to peace and reconciliation in sierra leone. The trc staff developed a database with the analyzer software of benetech. The sierra leone parliament made provision for such a commission in early 2000 through the truth and reconcili ation act, 2000 the act. Mineral exports remain sierra leones principal foreign exchange earner.
This paper analyzes the impact of two accountability mechanisms in sierra leonethe truth and reconciliation commission trc and the special courton peacebuilding and democratization in the mano river union mru subregion of. Education ministry and the new education policy part one. Decision on appeal by the truth and reconciliation commission of sierra leone trc or the commission and chief samuel. Priscilla hayner and paul van zyl are program directors at ictj and marieke wierda is a. The truth and reconciliation act 2000 pdf192kb, february 10, 2000 mandate. Sierra leone has a stable political environment with successful transfers of power in recent years, and the government has made commitments to improve human capital development and diversify the economy. The sierra leone parliament made provision for such a commission in early 2000 by virtue of the truth and reconciliation act, 2000 the act. The sierra leone standards bureau created by the standards act no. Children and the truth and reconciliation commission for sierra leone 1 executive summary recommendations for the involvement and protection of children in the trc he truth and reconciliation commission trc act recognises the particular impact of the sierra leonean conflict on children and calls on the trc for sierra leone to. There are iron ore reserves, but these are no longer commercially mined. The decadelong civil war in sierra leone gained international notoriety for the widespread use of child soldiers, and the sexual abuse and forced marriage of girl soldiers. Access to affordable legal representation in sierra leone is a serious problem. The truth and reconciliation commission in postconflict sierra leone. Early in the year 2000, an act was promulgated by the government of sierra leone to set up a truth and reconciliation commission3.
The country has a brutal history marked with bloodshed emanating from a. Being an act to establish the truth and reconciliation commission in line with. In 2000 the government of sierra leone promulgated the anticorruption act to combat endemic corruption, and a revised version of the law was passed on september 1, 2008. Hrdag assisted the trc to build a systematic data coding system, electronic database, and secure data analysis process to manage the thousands of statements given to them in the course of their work. Sierra leone truth and reconciliation commission wikipedia. The nineyear civil war in sierra leone was marked by extreme violence and brutality on.
The commission was later enacted in 2000 by the president and parliament of sierra leone. Environment protection act, 2000 sierra leone legal. The sierra leone truth and reconciliation commission revisited. This guide to law online sierra leone contains a selection of sierra leonean legal, juridical, and governmental sources accessible through the internet. Corruption is a perennial problem in the judiciary. Article xxvi of the lome peace agreement and to provide for related matters. The object for which the commission is established is to create an impartial historical record of violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law related to the armed con. Setting up a business in sierra leone in order to register your corporate entity in sierra leone we need. The truth and reconciliation commission was to produce a report on human rights violations beginning in 1991, provide a forum for both victims and perpetrators, and. The trc act states that the commission should take individual statements as part of its information gathering exercise.
Ball visited freetown twice, and hrdag field consultant, richard. The underlying principles of the commission were set out in the memorandum of objects and reasons, which was attached to the truth and reconciliation act 2000, the legal instrument responsible for the creation of the commission. Sierra leone broadcasting corporation act, 2009 sierra leone constitution, 1991. Hrdag human rights data analysis group sierra leone. Special court agreement ratification act 2002 purpose. Based in the country where the atrocities were committed and combining international and domestic law, the scsl ushers in a new generation of international tribunals. The commission developed partnerships with sierra leonean civil society. This accord was signed by then president ahmad tejan kabbah, and the leader of the revolutionary united front ruf foday sankoh. The index measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18, given the risks of poor health and poor. The interrelationship between the sierra leone special. The truth and reconciliation act, 2000 sierra leone web. To facilitate and promote investment incentives to potential investors through the establishment of an institution that is tasked with the responsibility of facilitating the registration of business enterprises, business. Act to establish the truth and reconciliation commission in line with article xxvi of the lome peace agreement. In order to incorporate and run a company in sierra leone, the company must abide by company law stated in the sierra leone companies act 2009.
I pray never to see again what i saw in my beloved sierra leone. There is huge debate and controversy over the new education policy announced by the ministry of education, science and technology. Sierra leone in 2000, specifically mentions the need to give special attention. The human capital index hci database provides data at the country level for each of the components of the human capital index as well as for the overall index, disaggregated by gender. The sierra leone truth and reconciliation commission was created as part of the lome peace. You will find below the key extracts from the sierra leone companies act along with the full act. Sierra leones mineral and metal production statistics for 2010 is as follows.
The hrcsl was also established in line with the paris principles. Sierra leone is making strong attempts to escape the blood diamond branding and soar as a regional leader in democracy, human. A guide to preserving records of truth commissions 2005 by. Extract from the poem i saw by mohamed sekoya, submitted to the national vision for sierra leone, a project of the trc after years of brutal conflict in sierra leone there existed a need to confront the past. Truth and reconciliation commission report for the children of sierra leone childfriendly version 2004. According to the independent media commission act, no person shall publish any newspaper or magazine in sierra leone unless the newspaper or magazine has been registered under the act and such registration is renewed annually. Enacted by the president and members of parliament in this present parliament assembled.
Though rich in this resource, the country has historically struggled to manage its exploitation and export. Sierra leone road transport corporation pwd junction, blackhall road, kissy. Revolutionary united front of sierra leone participation in political and democratic process act, 1999 right of access to information act, 20. See unicef, children and the truth and reconciliation commission for sierra leone.
Investing and setting up a business in sierra leone. In doing so it formerly established one of the pillars of the lome peace accord of july 1999. The country also produces mineral commodities such as cement and ilmenite. Grossman a report by the benetech human rights data analysis group and the american bar association 28 march 2006 1. Special court for sierra leone and the truth and reconciliation commission will operate.
The trc coexisted with the special court for sierra leone, which. Sierra leone is a major producer of gemquality diamonds. Sierra leone road transport corporation home facebook. Sierra leone companies act, 2009 sierra leone company law.