Trial monitoring: Alieu Kosiah

Alieu Kosiah’s trial monitoring

Alieu Kosiah, former commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of war crimes committed during the First Liberian Civil War.

In 2023, the Appeals Chamber convicted Alieu Kosiah of crimes against humanity, a first in Switzerland. In 2026, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court overturned this part of the verdict, ruling that the Swiss provision on crimes against humanity, introduced in 2011, cannot apply to acts committed before then. It upheld his war crimes conviction and 20-year sentence, which are now final.

First Instance Proceedings

Despite several delays due to COVID-19, the trial began before the Swiss Federal Criminal Court (FCC) in Bellinzona. Preliminary questions and the hearing of the defendant took place between December 3 and December 11, 2020. Subsequently, the hearing of the plaintiffs, witnesses, and the final pleadings took place between February 15 and March 5, 2021.

On June 18, 2021, Alieu Kosiah was found guilty of: ordering the killing of 13 civilians and 2 unarmed soldiers; murdering 4 civilians; raping a civilian; ordering the cruel treatment of 7 civilians; infringing upon the dignity of a deceased civilian; repeatedly ordering the cruel, humiliating, and degrading treatment of several civilians; repeatedly inflicting cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment on several civilians; repeated orders to loot, and using a child soldier in armed hostilities. The FCC sentenced Mr. Kosiah to 20 years in prison.

Alieu Kosiah filed an appeal against the judgment, seeking an acquittal. The plaintiffs also lodged an appeal requesting that the charges against the accused be qualified not only as violations of the laws of war, but also as crimes against humanity. On September 2, 2022, following the plaintiffs’ appeal, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) filed an amended indictment against Alieu Kosiah to include charges of crimes against humanity.

Trial monitoring for the first instance proceedings is available here.

The judgement from the first instance proceedings is available here.

Appeal proceedings

Appeal proceedings were held in Bellinzona from January 11, 2023, to February 3, 2023.

On June 1, 2023, the Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court (FCC) found Alieu Kosiah guilty of multiple counts of war crimes and multiple counts of crimes against humanity. He received a prison sentence of 20 years.

Trial monitoring for the appeal proceedings is available here.

The judgement from the appeal proceedings is available here.