Amnesty Hails Nigeria’s Action

[Richard Akindele]

Amnesty International has commended the Nigerian government’s position in repatriating former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, and said it was the logical thing to do so that the ex-warlord would face trial.

The international human rights organisation in a statement it issued recently stated that “Amnesty International welcomes the surrender of former Liberian president Charles Taylor to the custody of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he has been indicted and will face trial on 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.�

According to the body, “the organization also welcomes the arrest, on 17 March, of Thomas Lubanga -- leader of an armed political group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- who was surrendered to the International Criminal Court on suspicion of having committed war crimes.�

The arrests it said were important steps in the fight against abuse of power on the continent. “These arrests represent important steps in the fight against impunity in Africa and send a message that those involved in human rights violations will be brought to account.

“However, further steps must be taken to ensure that other alleged perpetrators of human rights violations in Africa, including Hissene Habre, former president of Chad, face justice,� it said

Following the surrender of Charles Taylor, the Special Court has requested that -- for security reasons -- the trial be moved to the The Hague, The Netherlands. Amnesty International said it has been supportive of the Special Court and its important role in achieving justice for the thousands of victims of crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under international law in Sierra Leone.

Elaborating on its position, the body stated that it “believes that whether Charles Taylor is tried in Freetown or elsewhere under the jurisdiction of the Special Court, it is critical that protection for all witnesses is guaranteed, and that the trial be accessible to and known by the victims, their families and the wider Sierra Leonean society.�

“Such measures are essential to ensure the relevance and contribution to the crucial message that impunity for crimes under international law will not be tolerated and that justice will be achieved for the victims of these crimes -- so that justice is both done and

It further expressed its belief in a statement by Mr. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General that "the capture and trial of Mr. Taylor will send a powerful message to the region and beyond that impunity will not be allowed to stand and that the rule of law must prevail."

The global body explained: “In the past decades the perpetration of crimes under international law has plagued many parts of Africa. African men, women and children have been victims of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other crimes under international law. Suspected perpetrators are rarely brought to justice, benefiting from amnesties and similar measures, while the victims have been frequently denied an effective remedy.

“The Constitutive Act of the African Union recognizes among its fundamental principles and objectives the "condemnation and rejection of impunity". Amnesty International therefore calls on African governments to ensure that suspected perpetrators of crimes under international law do not benefit from impunity.

“African states must try suspected perpetrators of crimes under international law in full accordance with guarantees of fair trial and without the imposition of the death penalty, and must extradite them to states that are willing to prosecute them in accordance with fair trial standards or surrender them to internationalized courts. Governments must also comply with any request made by the International Criminal Court to surrender accused persons.�

Source: Nigerian News