Swiss supreme court upholds Liberian ex-rebel commander’s 20-year sentence
Summary
Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court upheld Alieu Kosiah’s 20-year prison sentence for war crimes committed during Liberia’s first civil war, but overturned his conviction for crimes against humanity. The court said Swiss law did not recognize that offense until 2011, so it could not apply to acts from 1993 to 1995.Key Facts
- Kosiah, a former Liberian rebel commander, was convicted in 2021 of war crimes committed between 1993 and 1995.
- The court upheld the maximum 20-year prison sentence for violations of the laws of war.
- It acquitted Kosiah of crimes against humanity under the principle that criminal laws cannot apply retroactively.
- Switzerland introduced the crime of crimes against humanity into its law in 2011.
- The 2021 court ruling found that Kosiah ordered or took part in killing 17 civilians and two unarmed soldiers.
- The court also found him guilty of crimes including rape, deploying a child soldier, looting and mistreating civilians.
- Kosiah settled in Switzerland in the late 1990s and was arrested in 2014.
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