Freetown
Sierra Leone
16 January 2002

Today in Freetown, the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations signed the Agreement formally establishing the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The official signing of the Agreement was done on behalf of Sierra Leone by the Honourable Solomon Berewa, the Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone.  Mr Hans Corell, the Under Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, signed on behalf of the United Nations.

The ceremony was attended by the Ambassadors of China, Guinea and the USA and the High Commissioners of Nigeria and the United Kingdom.  Also present were the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General Ambassador Adeniji, the French Consul and the European Union’s Delegate to Sierra Leone, together with representatives from Sierra Leone Human Rights groups and other civil society activists.

The Ceremony was attended by the entire United Nations Planning Mission team, including representatives of Member States, present in the country since 6 January to conduct discussions with their counterparts in the Government Task Force concerning all outstanding practical issues surrounding the Special Court.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone will have jurisdiction to prosecute “those who bear the greatest responsibility” for serious violations of international humanitarian law, crimes against humanity and some provisions of Sierra Leonean criminal law perpetrated during the course of the conflict within the country from 30 November 1996.

The signing of the Agreement represents the culmination of 19 months of negotiations between the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations.  In June 2000, H.E. The President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, wrote to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Anan, requesting the assistance of the United Nations to establish a court to try people who have committed atrocities in Sierra Leone.  On 14 August 2000 the Security Council passed Resolution 1315 allowing negotiations to establish the Special Court to commence.

The Government of Sierra Leone wishes to express its gratitude to the International Community, as represented by the United Nations, for its continuing determination to ensure that those who bear the greatest responsibility for the crimes committed during the conflict will be held to account and the rule of law re-established within Sierra Leone.