Kunti Kamara

Kunti Kamara, a former ULIMO commander, was arrested in France in 2018 on suspicion of crimes against humanity and torture allegedly committed during the First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996).

After a 17-day trial, held from October 10 to November 2, 2022, in Paris, France, Mr Kamara was found guilty of all charges. These included: rape and sexual slavery of particularly vulnerable people committed by his subordinates; subjecting a man to severe suffering and taking part in the public consumption of his heart; executing a sick woman who had just lost her baby because she was accused of witchcraft; subjecting two men to forced labor under inhumane conditions; and torturing a civilian. Mr Kamara was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mr Kamara, who denies all charges, appealed the decision. The appeal proceedings were held before the “Cour d’assises” of Paris from March 5, 2024, to March 29, 2024. The court confirmed the guilty verdict and found Mr Kamara guilty of complicity in crimes against humanity, as well as the commission of simple and aggravated acts of torture and barbarism. He was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment.

Civitas Maxima filed the criminal complaint in July 2018 that initiated the proceedings in France, as Mr Kamara was residing in the country at the time. Civitas Maxima was admitted as a plaintiff (civil party) in the case, alongside Liberian plaintiffs represented by the French lawyers Simon Foreman and Sabrina Delattre. Civitas Maxima participated in all the court hearings, both at first instance and on appeal.