Amnesties in international law : the experience of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Abstract

The Special Court for Sierra Leone, a hybrid criminal tribunal established to try persons accused of serious crimes during the conflict in Sierra Leone, has recently commenced its judicial operations. Several of the preliminary issues raised by various defendants have required the Court to examine the validity of the amnesty granted to combatants by the Lomé Peace Agreement and the amnesty's impact upon the Court's jurisdiction to try the defendants. This article examines the decisions of the Court on the amnesty issue and evaluates the jurisprudence of the Court with reference to the current status of amnesties in international law.