Alieu Kosiah 20-year war crimes sentence upheld

Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court has upheld former Liberian warlord Alieu Kosiah's 20-year prison sentence for war crimes, while overturning his conviction for crimes against humanity.

The court said it rejected Kosiah's appeal against his conviction for violations of the laws of war committed between 1993 and 1995 during Liberia's first civil war. It said the offence of crimes against humanity, introduced into Swiss law in 2011, could not be applied to acts committed before then.

Kosiah, now 51, was convicted by Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in 2021 over atrocities committed during Liberia's civil wars. In 2023, an appeals chamber upheld his 20-year sentence and added a crimes against humanity conviction.

The latest ruling, dated September 28 and published Friday, makes final his conviction for violating the laws of war and the maximum 20-year custodial sentence.

Civitas Maxima, a Swiss organisation that works on international crimes cases and represents victims in the case, said the decision made final the first war crimes conviction by a Swiss civilian court and the first war crimes conviction anywhere of a Liberian for crimes committed during Liberia's civil wars.

Kosiah was found guilty in 2021 of war crimes committed as a commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy rebel group. The court ruled that he ordered or took part in the killing of 17 civilians and two unarmed soldiers, as well as rape, deploying a child soldier, looting, cruel treatment of civilians and mishandling corpses.

Civitas Maxima director Alain Werner said survivors had received "final justice", but said the organisation was deeply disappointed by the acquittal on crimes against humanity.