Sierra Leone: Government should denounce impunity agreement with the us

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE

AI Index: AFR 51/004/2003 (Public)
News Service No: 116
8 May 2003

Sierra Leone: Government should denounce impunity agreement with the
US

Amnesty International today expressed deep shock at the Sierra Leone
Parliament's ratification of a reciprocal impunity agreement with the
United States of America (USA).

"This is a completely unacceptable decision especially at
a
time when the country is starting the process of dealing with the mass
human rights abuses that have taken place in its recent past," the
organization said.

On 6 May 2003, despite strong opposition from civil society,
Sierra
Leone's Parliament became the first in the world to ratify an impunity
agreement with the USA. The Sierra Leonean Parliament supported the
impunity agreement which provides that Sierra Leone will not surrender
US
nationals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes to
the new International Criminal Court.

Even more disturbingly, as Sierra Leone has accepted the
jurisdiction
of the International Criminal Court, the agreement is reciprocal
providing
that the USA will not surrender to the International Criminal Court
Sierra
Leonean nationals accused of the worst possible crimes in the world.

"This agreement is unlawful and violates Sierra Leone's
obligations
as a state which has ratified the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and other international
law," Amnesty International said. "In response, we have written to
President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah urging him to refuse to give presidential
consent to the agreement."

At the same time, the organization expresses its dismay that
members
of parliament have supported the ratification of the agreement. Amnesty
International welcomes the lone stand for international justice taken by
one member of parliament, Ibrahim Sorie, in voting against ratification.

"This impunity agreement should not be enforced and any request by
the International Criminal Court for a surrender of a suspect must be
met
by the Sierra Leonean authorities;," Amnesty International concluded.

Background

Sierra Leone ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal
Court
on 15 September 2000, one of the first states to do so.

As of 6 May 2003, 28 states have reportedly signed impunity
agreements with the USA. Not a single parliament, other than that of
Sierra
Leone, has approved ratification of an impunity agreement. In most cases
the agreements were not reciprocal.

Public Document
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