Finnish Court Acquits Man Accused of War Crimes in Liberia

Source: YLE NEWS

A court in Finland has acquitted Gibril Massaquoi of charges including murder, aggravated rape and aggravated war crimes in a verdict handed down on Friday afternoon.

In its ruling, the court said that while there was reason to suspect Massaquoi had committed the crimes he was charged with, the prosecution in the case had not proved beyond reasonable doubt that he was guilty.
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The 52-year-old is from Sierra Leone and was a senior member of a notorious rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), that also fought in neighbouring Liberia from 1999 to 2003.

The court further noted that the defendant has never been prosecuted in Liberia — where the alleged offences were believed to have taken place — and that an exceptionally long period of 20 years has elapsed since the crimes were allegedly carried out.

According to the criminal indictment, Massaquoi — who has lived in Finland for more than ten years — ordered the murder, torture and mutilation of civilians when he was one of the leaders of a Sierra Leonean rebel group which took part in both the Sierra Leonean and Liberian civil wars between 1999 and 2003. He consistently denied all of the charges.

He was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in March 2020 following the completion of an investigation that began as early as 2018.

The prosecutor in the case had initially demanded a life sentence as the charges were considered to be exceptionally brutal.

Massaquoi had been held in pre-trial detention for around two years until February this year, when the court released him pending the verdict in the case. As he has now been acquitted, Massaquoi can submit a claim for compensation from the Finnish state for his long pre-trial detention.

Speaking to Yle, Massaquoi's defence lawyer Kaarle Gummerus said that the matter of compensation was a side issue pending the outcome of the trial but will be reviewed at a later date.

The trial was unique in Finnish legal history, as the alleged crimes had not been committed in Finland, and members of the district court traveled to Liberia multiple times to hear testimony from dozens of witnesses.

Civil Wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone 20 years ago
According to the prosecutor in the case, Massaquoi held a senior position in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during the civil wars that were fought in Liberia and Sierra Leone in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The group received support from Liberia's former president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor, who is currently in prison after he was convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Massaquoi had been held in pre-trial detention for around two years until February this year, when the court released him pending the verdict in the case. As he has now been acquitted, Massaquoi can submit a claim for compensation from the Finnish state for his long pre-trial detention.

Speaking to Yle, Massaquoi's defence lawyer Kaarle Gummerus said that the matter of compensation was a side issue pending the outcome of the trial but will be reviewed at a later date.

The trial was unique in Finnish legal history, as the alleged crimes had not been committed in Finland, and members of the district court traveled to Liberia multiple times to hear testimony from dozens of witnesses.

Civil Wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone 20 years ago
According to the prosecutor in the case, Massaquoi held a senior position in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during the civil wars that were fought in Liberia and Sierra Leone in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The group received support from Liberia's former president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor, who is currently in prison after he was convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Massaquoi's leadership role within the organisation changed however, and in 2002 he agreed to testify against members of the RUF following the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone. He was placed in a witness protection programme and moved to Finland in 2007 or 2008, eventually settling in Tampere.

Allegations about his actions in Liberia began to surface, and authorities in Finland began investigating Massaquoi in about 2018 — which eventually led to his arrest.

The district court's verdict in the case is not final and therefore can be appealed to a higher court. The prosecutor in the case has not yet indicated if an appeal will be launched.