Author: Prue Clarke

PARIS, France – Defense lawyers in the appeal of Kunti Kamara of his 2022 conviction for crimes against humanity, called for the trial to be abandoned on Wednesday. They entered a motion making a new claim that Kamara, a former Ulimo commander, was born four years later than previously claimed, meaning he would have been 15 at the time of the crimes during Liberia’s first civil war, and too young to be tried in France’s adult justice system.

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By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives PARIS, France—Kunti Kamara has lashed out at the ten plaintiffs in his trial for crimes against humanity here calling them “criminals” and professing his innocence on charges of cannibalism, torture, rape, murder and forced labor. Kamara, 47, has conceded he was a commander with the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (Ulimo) during its four-month occupation of Foya in Lofa County, Liberia in 1993. Dozens of witnesses have told the court harrowing stories of atrocities they claim Kamara committed himself or directed others to do. On Thursday Kamara repeated his attacks against the…

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PARIS, France – The trial of Kunti Kamara for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Paris took a dramatic turn late Friday as the presiding judge in the trial asked a witness if the man he had described committing multiple atrocities, including killing four members of his family, was in the court. “Yes,” said the victim turning to look directly at Kamara who was in a protective glass box. “That is him.” The victim was standing less than 10 feet from Kamara who was also asked to stand. Neither man betrayed what must have been deep turmoil at, what…

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By Prue Clarke PARIS, France – The trial of Kunti Kamara for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Paris took a dramatic turn late Friday as the presiding judge in the trial asked a witness if the man he had described committing multiple atrocities, including killing four members of the victim’s family, was in the court. “Yes,” said the victim turning to look directly at Kamara who was in a protective glass box. “That is him.” The victim was standing less than 10 feet from Kamara who was also asked to stand. Neither man betrayed what must have been…

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By Prue Clarke with New Narratives PARIS, France – Day four of the war crimes trial of Kunti Kamara looked closely at the investigations in France and Liberia that produced evidence prosecutors are using in the case against the former commander of the United Liberation Movement for Democracy in Liberia. Two Liberian leads in the investigation – Luther Sumo, a Lofa prosecutor and Patrick Massaly, Deputy Police Commissioner – testified by video link from Monrovia. They both said that once they had the case material supplied by French investigators they set about finding alleged victims of Kamara in Foya in…

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PARIS, France – Day three of the war crimes trial of Liberian Kunti Kamara was all about setting the scene of Liberia’s civil war and the history that led up to it for the jury of six French citizens and three judges who will decide this case. The court heard from three witnesses including French photographer Patrick Robert whose photographs took the war to the world stage and John Stewart, a former commissioner of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

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