Thomas Elfgren News Today

The Court of Appeal in Turku, Finland, has confirmed the acquittal of Gibril Massaquoi, accused of war crimes in Liberia. This is the end of a fiasco in which the Finnish judges twice avoided a miscarriage of justice.

What happens when a war crimes trial in Finland shifts to Liberia?

Finnish judges, prosecutors and lawyers are expected to arrive in the Liberian capital on 31 January. They are to stay for two months for the appeal trial of the former Sierra Leonean rebel commander, Gibril Massaquoi. Massaquoi was acquitted of all charges in the first instance trial in April 2022. This new trial is likely to be a carbon copy of the first.

Lansana Gberie, a renowned expert on the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia, provides an exclusive analysis of the trial of Gibril Massaquoi before a Finnish court, and how it led to a full acquittal on April 29. He worries about the consequences of a trial that, he says, was “misguided”. And he has a suggestion to Massaquoi if he is to receive financial compensation for the time he spent in prison.

What was supposed to be an innovative and exemplary judicial experiment has turned into an adventurous rush to conviction, with questionable investigative practices and fanciful historical theories. On April 29, by acquitting Gibril Massaquoi, the judges spared Finnish justice from greater embarrassment. But the Massaquoi trial, while affirming the presumption of innocence, is a painful lesson for the practice of universal jurisdiction.

What was supposed to be an innovative and exemplary judicial experiment has turned into an adventurous rush to conviction, with questionable investigative practices and fanciful historical theories. On April 29, by acquitting Gibril Massaquoi, the judges spared Finnish justice from greater embarrassment. But the Massaquoi trial, while affirming the presumption of innocence, is a painful lesson for the practice of universal jurisdiction.

The Finnish authorities were apparently unaware of the past of the man from the crisis area: "No Google search was done".On 16 February, the Pirkanmaa District Court ordered the release of Gibril Massaquoi, a Sierra Leonean man accused of serious war

There’s a new surprise in the trial of Gibril Massaquoi. On Wednesday February 16, the Finnish court released this former Sierra Leonean rebel after almost two years in detention. The trial verdict is expected by April 29, and his release is fuelling speculation about a possible acquittal. In an interview with Justice Info on January 24, Massaquoi expressed confidence in the Finnish justice system, but not in the investigators.

Gibril Massaquoi, at a court in Finland The Finnish court trying Sierra Leonean Gibril Massaquoi for war crimes allegedly committed in Liberia has delayed hearings by nearly two weeks because of the acute illness of two of the four judges, including Presiding Judge Juhani Paiho. The Freetown hearings of the trial which began in Finland in February  were to begin on April 28 but they have been pushed back each day since then as the judges recovered. The latest start date is now set for May 11....

Typhoid delays Massaquoi war crimes hearings in Sierra Leone Massaquoi is being prosecuted in Finland for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Liberia. 3 min read The Finnish court trying Sierra Leonean Gibril Massaquoi for war crimes allegedly committed in Liberia has delayed hearings by nearly two weeks because of acute illness of two of the four judges, including Presiding Judge Juhani Paiho. The Freetown hearings of the trial which began in Finland i...