Sierra Leonean Judge Elected to War Crime Tribunal
New York, Nov 2 2009 2:10PM
A Sierra Leonean judge has taken over as the new President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (http://www.sc-sl.org/), the United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the worst acts committed during the long and brutal civil war in the West African nation.
Justice Jon Kamanda was elected to a one-year
term as the Presiding Judge of the appeals chamber, a post
which automatically makes him the SCSL’s President as
well, according to a press release issued today by the court
from Freetown, the capital.
Justice Emmanuel Ayoola of
Nigeria was elected as Vice-President, the press release
added.
Justice Kamanda succeeds Justice Renate Winter
of Austria, who had served as President since May last year.
The new President has had an extensive legal career,
having worked as a barrister, prosecutor and judge during
the past 34 years. He has also served as a government
minister in Sierra Leone.
The SCSL also announced
today that Claire Carlton-Hanciles, a Sierra Leonean lawyer,
has been named as the court’s Principal
Defender.
ENDS