Trial monitoring: Gibril Massaquoi

First Instance Proceedings

Massaquoi’s trial started on February 3, 2021, in Tampere. The Finnish court travelled to Liberia in mid-February – first conducting site visits in Lofa County and then going to Monrovia on February 23 to hear the witnesses. The hearings in Monrovia concluded on April 7, 2021. The Court then relocated to Sierra Leone on May 11, to hear additional witnesses. After a brief period back in Tampere, the Court then returned to Liberia mid-September to hear more witnesses. One month later, the Court moved back to Tampere for the final stretch of the trial. Finally, the last witnesses were heard in January 2022 and the Defense and Prosecution pleaded their closing arguments.

On April 29, 2022, the District Court dismissed all charges, and found that there was reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the offenses he was charged with. In May 2022, the Prosecution filed an appeal.

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Appeal proceedings

The appeal began on January 10, 2023, and lasted until September 8, 2023. On January 31, 2024, the Turku Court of Appeal issued its judgement and confirmed the acquittal of Gibril Massaquoi for war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and murder that he was accused of committing in Liberia during the country’s second civil war (1999-2003).

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