Sierra Leone court sentences militia leaders to less than 10 years

(10 Oct 2007)
++QUALITY AS INCOMING++
1. Exterior of Special Court
2. People walking into court
3. Court building seen through barbed wire fence
4. Close-up of United Nations flag
5. Defence team walking into court
6. Wide of judges inside courtroom
7. Defence team seated in courtroom, former pro-government militia leaders, Moinina Fofana (on left) and Allieu Kondewa (on right), seated behind next to security officials
8. Wide of courtroom
9. Fofana and Kondewa standing up
10. Close-up of Kondewa
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Benjamin Itoe, Presiding judge:
"The women were then disembowelled, and while their guts used as checkpoints, parts of their entrails were eaten."
12. Close-up of Fofana
13. People walking out of court
14. Set-up shot of lead defence counsel, Charles Margai
15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Charles Margai, Defence counsel:
"Well I am relieved that we have come to a partial end of all of this because I am sure that there is going to be an appeal, but I thank God that the sentencing wasn't as severe as we had anticipated."
16. Set-up shot of lead prosecutor Stephen Rapp walking into office
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Rapp, Lead prosecutor:
"We think that giving a big discount, an enormous discount, for crimes like murder, and cruel treatment, pillage, collective punishments to people that aren't deserving those punishments, and their recruitment of child soldiers I think clearly require longer sentences than six or eight years. And that is a decision we'll be looking at in terms of the law and if we find an appeal, that matter will go before the Appeals Chamber judges here in the coming months."
18. United Nations soldier with tank in background
STORYLINE
A United Nations-backed court sentenced two former leaders of a pro-government militia to six and eight years in jail on Tuesday for brutalities committed during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war.
The ruling was a victory for the defence, given that the prosecution was asking for 30-year jail terms.
It also reflects the ambiguity with which Sierra Leone has viewed atrocities committed by a group that many still see as heroes who fought rebels who may have done much worse.
Moinina Fofana and Allieu Kondewa were among the leaders of a group called the Civil Defence Forces, which used a network of tribal-based hunters known as the Kamajors to fight various rebel groups during the country's 1991-2002 war.
The Civil Defence Forces have been widely accused of torturing and mutilating civilians in pursuit of its goals.
Fofana and Kondewa were both convicted on four counts involving murder, cruel treatment, pillage and issuing collective punishment.
Kondewa was convicted on an additional count of conscripting child soldiers.
Kondewa was sentenced to eight years; Fofana to six years.
"I am relieved that we have come to a partial end of all of this because I am sure that there is going to be an appeal, but I thank God that the sentencing wasn't as severe as we had anticipated," said Charles Margai, who is part of the defence counsel.
The charges against the Civil Defence Forces have fuelled controversy in the West African country, where many argue the tribal-based force should be praised as patriots.
The sole Sierra Leonean judge on the three-judge trial panel had ruled that they were not guilty on all counts.
Presiding Judge Benjamin Itoe said the sentences were short partly because the Civil Defence Forces contributed to re-establishing the rule of law in Sierra Leone.
Still, he added that the brutality of their methods could not go unpunished.
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