Special Court for Sierra Leone
Press and Public Affairs Office

PRESS RELEASE
Bonthe, Sierra Leone, 21 March 2003

First Suspect Detained

Augustine Gbao appeared today before the Special Court in a Sierra Leone
district courthouse in Bonthe. He is the first person to be detained by the
international criminal court as a suspect. Seven other men were indicted
earlier in the month, five of whom have so far been arrested.

Gbao's detention came at the request of the Prosecutor David M. Crane. The
Prosecutor has thirty days to either lodge an indictment or request that
the suspect be held for a further thirty days. If the suspect is not
indicted after the ninetieth day of detention, he or she must be released,
according to Court rules.

In the public hearing, the Judge, Benjamin M. Itoe of Cameroon, explained
Gbao's rights to him.

Public hearings were also held during the day for four of the indictees.
Their cases were adjourned to a date to be fixed by the Registrar. The
fifth indictee, Chief Samuel Hinga Norman, has had closed hearings at an
undisclosed location.