United Nations Security Council Resolution 1315
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1315, adopted unanimously on August 14, 2000, after expressing concern at serious crimes committed in Sierra Leone
, the Council expressed its intention to establish the Special Court for Sierra Leone
to deal with violations of human rights, international law and war crimes in the country.
(ECOWAS) to bring peace to the country. ECOWAS had agreed to dispatch an investigation into the resumption of hostilities and the government was in the process of creating a national truth and reconciliation process. The United Nations had the Lomé Peace Accord
amended with a provision that excluded war criminals from a planned amnesty
. Meanwhile, the importance of compliance with international law
and a credible justice system was stressed. The Sierra Leone government desired the establishment of a special court
to bring justice and establish peace. The Council declared that the situation in the country continued to constitute a threat to peace and security.
to negotiate an agreement with the government in Sierra Leone to establish an independent special court. The jurisdiction
of the court should include crimes against humanity
, war crime
s and other violations of international humanitarian law
and the law of Sierra Leone. The impartiality and independence of the process was emphasised.
The Secretary-General was requested to submit a report on the implementation of the current resolution within 30 days. In his report, he was required to address its temporal jurisdiction, appeals process, feasibility and the option of sharing an appeals chamber at the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia
and Rwanda
. Furthermore he was also requested to make recommendations regarding:
necessary additional agreements; necessary participation of Member States, ECOWAS countries and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
for an effective, independent and impartial functioning of the court; necessary financial contributions; expertise and advice from the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1315, adopted unanimously on August 14, 2000, after expressing concern at serious crimes committed in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, the Council expressed its intention to establish the Special Court for Sierra Leone
Special Court for Sierra Leone
The Special Court for Sierra Leone is an independent judicial body set up to "try those who bear greatest responsibility" for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sierra Leone after 30 November 1996 during the Sierra Leone Civil War...
to deal with violations of human rights, international law and war crimes in the country.
Observations
The Security Council commended the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone and the Economic Community of West African StatesEconomic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
(ECOWAS) to bring peace to the country. ECOWAS had agreed to dispatch an investigation into the resumption of hostilities and the government was in the process of creating a national truth and reconciliation process. The United Nations had the Lomé Peace Accord
Lomé Peace Accord
The Lomé Peace Accord was a peace agreement signed on 7 July 1999 between the warring parties in the civil war that gripped Sierra Leone for almost a decade. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah signed with the Revolutionary United Front leader, Foday Sankoh, granting Sankoh a position in the...
amended with a provision that excluded war criminals from a planned amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
. Meanwhile, the importance of compliance with international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and a credible justice system was stressed. The Sierra Leone government desired the establishment of a special court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
to bring justice and establish peace. The Council declared that the situation in the country continued to constitute a threat to peace and security.
Acts
The resolution requested the Secretary-General Kofi AnnanKofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
to negotiate an agreement with the government in Sierra Leone to establish an independent special court. The jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
of the court should include crimes against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
, war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s and other violations of international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law
International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus that comprises "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It...
and the law of Sierra Leone. The impartiality and independence of the process was emphasised.
The Secretary-General was requested to submit a report on the implementation of the current resolution within 30 days. In his report, he was required to address its temporal jurisdiction, appeals process, feasibility and the option of sharing an appeals chamber at the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
and Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
. Furthermore he was also requested to make recommendations regarding:
necessary additional agreements; necessary participation of Member States, ECOWAS countries and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2005. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lomé Peace Accord, an agreement intended to end the Sierra Leonean...
for an effective, independent and impartial functioning of the court; necessary financial contributions; expertise and advice from the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
See also
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1301 to 1400 (2000 – 2002)
- Sierra Leone Civil WarSierra Leone Civil WarThe Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...