{"id":93230,"date":"2022-10-21T09:30:19","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T07:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/central-africa\/dr-congo\/france-liberia-atrocity-trial\/"},"modified":"2022-10-21T09:30:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T07:30:20","slug":"france-liberia-atrocity-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/africa-news\/central-africa\/dr-congo\/france-liberia-atrocity-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"France: Liberia Atrocity Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The\u00a0trial<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0France<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Kunti K<\/a>. for\u00a0crimes against humanity<\/span>\u00a0in his alleged role as a Liberian former armed group commander is an important step toward justice for victims of\u00a0Liberia’s<\/a>\u00a0first civil war, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said today. The trial is scheduled to begin on October 10, 2022 in Paris, and is a sign of\u00a0France\u2019s commitment<\/a>\u00a0to hold those responsible for grave crimes to account.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Kunti K. is accused of crimes against humanity committed during the first Liberian civil war, which devasted the country from 1989 to 1996. Liberia\u2019s first civil war was marked by\u00a0war crimes<\/span>\u00a0and widespread, systematic human rights violations, including profound and disturbing patterns of violence against civilians, as warring factions massacred and raped civilians, pillaged, and forced children to kill and fight. The full name of the accused has been withheld by French officials in line with national privacy laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trial is an important step for justice for victims amid the failure of Liberian authorities to hold to account those responsible for serious crimes during the civil wars,\u201d said\u00a0Elise Keppler<\/a>, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch. \u201cLiberian authorities should take note: these crimes can and should be prosecuted, and a long-recommended war crimes court should be established in-country without delay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organization\u00a0Civitas Maxima<\/a>\u00a0filed a\u00a0criminal complaint<\/a>\u00a0in France against Kunti K. in 2018, following which he was arrested in Paris on suspicion of crimes against humanity and torture. Ahead of the trial, Human Rights Watch and FIDH published a\u00a0question-and-answer<\/a>\u00a0document with information on:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n