Special Court for Sierra Leone
Press and Public Affairs Office

PRESS RELEASE
16 October 2002    

The Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, David Crane, visited the town of Makeni Tuesday to meet with local civil society leaders, ex-combatants religious leaders and victims of the decade long civil war. The town was formerly the headquarters of the main rebel group in the war, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).

At a meeting in Makeni's Pastoral Centre, people asked Crane questions on the composition and independence of the Court as well as on who will be indicted and why. Crane's mandate is to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for the many atrocities committed in the country. He told the gathering that he is following the evidence wherever it leads.

One man wanted to know whether an amnesty agreed to in the 1999 Lome Peace Agreement between the RUF and the Sierra Leone government protected those who Crane is now planning to indict. He responded, saying that no amnesty exists for the serious crimes of international law that he is investigating.

Crane also met with 500 school children at Makeni's St.Francis Secondary School. He listened as they expressed their concerns and praised the many efforts now underway to bring justice and peace to the community.

The prosecutor's team had arrived several days before Crane to meet with diverse groups in the community, including Sierra Leonean soldiers. Discussions with the groups focused on how to further what understanding people in the area already have of the work of the Special Court.

Crane plans to travel to all other districts in Sierra Leone by the end of the year. Earlier this month he met with people in the diamond-mining town of Koidu in Kono district.

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