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Alieu Kosiah

Alieu Kosiah is a former commander of the ULIMO faction, a rebel group that participated in the First Liberian civil war who moved to Switzerland where he got arrested.

Trial monitoring

Alieu Kosiah is a former commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) faction, a rebel group that participated in the First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996). The ULIMO fought against Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia. After the war, Kosiah moved to Switzerland, where he obtained permanent residency.

On November 10, 2014, Swiss authorities arrested Kosiah for his alleged involvement in mass killings in parts of Liberia’s Lofa County from 1993 to 1995. Several Liberian victims had filed criminal complaints against him. Mr. Kosiah faced numerous accusations, including ordering, committing, or participating in the murder of civilians and soldiers hors de combat; desecrating the corpse of a civilian; raping a civilian; ordering the cruel treatment of civilians; recruiting and using a child soldier; ordering several pillages; and ordering and/or participating in the forced transport of goods and ammunition by civilians.

The Swiss Federal Criminal Court postponed the trial several times due to the spread of COVID-19. Finally, the trial was held from December 3 to December 11, 2020 and from February 15 to March 5, 2021. On June 18, 2021, Kosiah was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Over 6 years of pre-trial detention were deducted from the sentence. He was convicted of crimes including ordering the killing of 13 civilians and 2 unarmed soldiers, murdering 4 civilians and raping a woman.

On June 1, 2023, after 4 weeks of hearings between January and February 2023 – the Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court found Alieu Kosiah guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and confirmed the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison pronounced at first instance by the Criminal Court.

Alain Werner, a Swiss lawyer and Director of Civitas Maxima, filed one of the criminal complaints against Mr. Kosiah in 2014 initiating the proceedings in Switzerland. Werner represented several Liberian plaintiffs throughout the case, including in court during the proceedings in 2020, 2021, and 2023.

Role Commander in the rebel group United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO)
Nationality Liberian
Period of Activity First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996)

 
Place of proceedings  Bellinzona, Switzerland
Charges War crimes, crimes against humanity
Status of the case Conviction upheld by the Appeal section of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court. Decision by the Swiss Supreme Court (“Tribunal Fédéral”) expected soon.

 

Direct legal impact of the case

Alieu Kosiah is the first person to be convicted of crimes against humanity in Switzerland and the first Liberian national tried for war crimes related to the Liberian Civil War. Furthermore, it was the first time the Federal Criminal Court held a trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case also set a precedent by establishing that crimes against humanity committed before 2011 can be prosecuted in Switzerland, marking the first time the Appeal Chamber ruled on this issue..

Press releases

Press releases

Appeal in Alieu Kosiah Case and Upcoming Trial of Kunti K. in Paris

The case of Alieu Kosiah, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his role in the First Liberian civil war, will go in appeal in January 2023. The trial of Kunti K., also former ULIMO commander, will be tried in October 2022, in Paris, France.

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