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Root > Special Projects > Human Rights Monitoring Project > Sierra Leone > Sierra Leone Photo Gallery   Print View  
Sierra Leone Photo Gallery
These photos are from The Advocates for Human Rights' two-week mission to Sierra Leone in May 2004. While most of the research was conducted in Freetown, the team also traveled upcountry to Kenema, Bo and Koidu for additional fact-finding interviews and on-site investigation.


Image Gallery: The Advocates' work in Sierra Leone
The team meets with Joseph Kobba, Senior State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice played a role in advising the Special Court on challenges to its jurisdiction before the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone. The team interviews Chief Justice Alhaji Dr. A.B. Timbo of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, who was appointed to his position in May 2002 by President Kabbah. Members of the team speak with an advisor to the Minister of Mineral Resources. Sierra Leone is part of a rough diamond certification process called the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, which has helped to reduce smuggling. According to Partnership for Africa-Canada, official diamond exports increased from nearly zero to $75 million between 1999 and 2003. The team interviews Bernadeth Lahai, a Member of Parliament from the Kenema district. Eighteen of the 124 Members of Parliament, or 14%, are women. Of those eighteen women, two are paramount chiefs from the south and east of Sierra Leone. Over thirty organizations work together as the Coalition for Justice and Accountability (COJA). Originally called the Special Court Working Group, COJA worked with No Peace Without Justice to advocate for the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Today, COJA works to monitor the Special Court, educate the community on the Special Court's work, abolish the death penalty and conduct rapid response outreach. A The Advocates volunteer meets with members of the Coalition for Justice and Accountability. Representatives of both the amputees' association and the movement to end female genital mutilation (FGM) are pictured here. See all 15 images.

Image Gallery: The war in Sierra Leone
"Blood diamonds" were used to fund the RUF during the war. The RUF controlled the Kono diamond mining areas during much of the war and used forced labor to mine the diamonds. The Kono diamond mines are empty of workers on a Sunday afternoon. In 2003, President Kabbah stated that the main problems of the diamond industry include illegal mining, smuggling, environmental impact, abuse of official power, poor working conditions, and child labor. A very low tax of three percent is levied on diamond exports to prevent smuggling. The Freetown amputee camp was instituted in 1999 under the direction of Medicins Sans Frontieres. At one time, there were as many as 2000 amputees and family members living in the camp; now, the number of residents has dwindled to 231 people. Another view of the Freetown amputee camp shows the state of disrepair. The camp is due to be demolished on 30 June 2004. In sharp contrast to the children in the private school next door, these amputee camp children do not attend school. One Sierra Leonean expressed his concern that without an education, these children would grow up to be Sierra Leone's future rebels. A young boy stands in the Freetown amputee camp where he lives. See all 14 images.

Image Gallery: The Special Court for Sierra Leone
The Special Court for Sierra Leone will try those "who bear the greatest responsibility" for the commission of violations of international humanitarian law. To date, eleven individuals stand indicted, and nine people are in custody. Trials began on 3 June 2004. A UNAMSIL soldier guards the detention facilities at the Special Court (photographer and copyright Dave Tacon) The courthouse nearly completed. Once the Special Court finishes all of its cases, the courthouse will be left as a symbol of justice. This modern building is located in the center of Freetown and has an excellent law library. There are eight Judges in the Special Court, from seven different countries. The Special Court is split into two Chambers, a Trial Chamber and an Appeals Chamber. The Special Court's staff offices are housed in rows of "containers." At the time of The Advocatesion, the Special Court employed 280 staff, composed of 120 internationals and 160 Sierra Leoneans. David Crane, Chief Prosecutor for the Special Court. One-third of professionals in the Office of the Prosecutor are Sierra Leonean, and forty-five percent are African (source: Special Court for Sierra Leone) See all 12 images.

Image Gallery: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
Children in rural Sierra Leone pose for the camera. The Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission made a committed effort to involve children in its work, and approximately 350 children gave statements to the TRC. Team members speak with Reverend Dr. Joseph Christian Humper, a Bishop of the United Methodist Church of Sierra Leone and the Chairperson of Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). There were seven Commissioners who served on the TRC, including four Sierra Leoneans and three internationals. The team meets with Frank Kargbo, the Executive Secretary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC took 9,500 statements from witnesses and victims and conducted public hearings throughout Sierra Leone. The TRC report is due to be released in June 2004. A peace bridge, erected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, honors the victims of the war. Some of the worst fighting in Freetown occurred at the site of this bridge in 1999.

Image Gallery: Scenes from Freetown
Ibrahim, our taxi driver, is 19 years old and works six days a week to save up for college ($500 to $600 per year). Ibrahim hopes to study engineering. During the war, Ibrahim and his family were refugees in Guinea. Travelers to Sierra Leone must travel by hovercraft or helicopter to get from Lungi Airport to Freetown. The helicopter provides a view of Freetown's shoreline. Sierra Leone, which sits on the North Atlantic Ocean, is bordered by Guinea and Liberia. A hilltop view of Freetown. On 6 January 1999, rebels invaded Freetown. By the time ECOMOG forces regained control of the city, almost two-thirds of the buildings in east Freetown were destroyed, nearly 7,000 people killed, hundreds mutilated, and 150,000 left homeless. The famous cotton tree that stands in a roundabout in downtown Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone's law court building. See all 9 images.

Image Gallery: Upcountry
A hilltop view shows a mosque in Koidu. A view of the streets in Koidu. A rock dedicated to Sierra Leone by the Pakistani peacekeeping force. The first local elections in 34 years were held on 22 May 2004. Meetings like this one were held throughout the country prior to the election. Girls in a village pose for a photo. Young women visit with the team in a rural village.

Image Gallery: Life in Sierra Leone
Even young children are adept at balancing things on their heads. Cars are packed so that everyone and everything fits. Gasoline is manually pumped in some rural areas of Sierra Leone. As gasoline empties out of one canister, it fills up in the other, and the attendant keeps count. Gasoline cost about $2.70 per gallon. Tropical fruits, such as mangos, grow widely throughout Sierra Leone. During mango season, young girls are often taken out of school to harvest and sell the fruits. A young girl walks along a street in Freetown. Many children were orphaned by the war. A billboard advertises for cell phones. Landlines are often unreliable, so most people in Sierra Leone rely on cell phones. See all 10 images.



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