National Dialogues on Justice, Impunity and Accountability to Launch at Special Court (Sierra Leone)

UPDATE: Last week, Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee launched its new website, including many editions of its recent report designed for children, young adults, and the international community.  The official report features a number of Coalition sites in its “Memorialization” section, including Tuol Sleng, Villa Grimaldi, the District Six Museum, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and the Gulag Museum at Perm-36.

Sierra Leone’s Special Court, set up jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations, was tasked with the investigation of war crimes committed during the 1996 civil war. But unresolved questions around justice and impunity, healing and reconciliation still linger.

Amid this transition, Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), one of the oldest non-governmental organizations in Sierra Leone, launched a national public dialogue around these issues on the site of the Special Court, considered an icon of the country’s transition from war.

The first dialogue program will bring together a variety of stakeholders to discuss unresolved aspects of war crimes and justice. In a parallel dialogue forum, community members will address the accomplishments and legacy of the Special Court. Next, students and youth groups will be invited to learn about the Court in the boarder context of justice and human rights.

Each of the public dialogues will also explore what the Special Court means for reconciliation in Sierra Leone. Building from these national dialogues among various groups, CGG aims to draw out a new vision for the Special Court as the country moves forward.

Established in 1996, CGG works towards a more informed civil society and democratic state by encouraging citizen participation in governance through advocacy and capacity building.

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