HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SIERRA LEONE (HRCSL) THE ROLE OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS IN CONFLICT AND POST-CONFLICT SITUATIONS ICC GENEVA 2016 BRIMA ABDULAI SHERIFF COMMISSIONER HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SIERRA LEONE (HRCSL)

MANDATE OF HRCSL HRCSL is the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) of Sierra Leone, established in 2004 by an Act of Parliament, with the mandate to PROTECT and PROMOTE Human Rights nationwide. It was established based on recommendations of the 1999 Lomé Peace Agreement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report, 2004.

The Sierra Leone Situation The war in Sierra Leone lasted from March 1991 to January 2002. The decade long civil war in the country saw over 50,000 people killed, thousands maimed and infrastructure destroyed. The Human Right Commission for Sierra Leone (HRCSL) had not yet been established so justice mechanisms put in place to address human rights violations were: Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) by an Act of Parliament in 2000 (as was prescribed by transitional Lome Peace Agreement). It began operations in 2002 and concluded its work in early 2004 UN Special Court for Sierra Leone (SC), a hybrid court which commenced in 2003 and was trying those who bear the greatest responsibility.

The Sierra Leone Situation The TRC in its report recommended the creation of a Human Rights Commission that would ‘serve as a watch dog and a visible route through which people can access their rights ... ‘(see para. 98 – 101 of Vol 2, chapter 3, page 135 of the TRC Report). The TRC further recommended that the NHRC should be appointed by government to fulfil the role of the TRC Follow-up Committee (see para. 550 of Vol 2, chapter 3, page 204 of the TRC Report and section 18 of the TRC Act 2000). Acting on the recommendations of the TRC, the HRCSL became the de facto TRC Follow up Committee and over the years has worked on promoting the implementation of the TRC recommendation through several ways:

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS Monitoring – National Conferences In collaboration with UN Integrated Office for Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) organised a National Conference on the Status of implementation of the TRC Recommendation, in 2007 Recruited a Truth and Reconciliation Liaison Officer to monitor the implementation of the TRC recommendations, in 2008 In collaboration with UN Mission in Sierra Leone organised a second National Conference on the Status of implementation of the TRC Recommendation, in 2010. The Conference was an opportunity to upgrade the matrix developed in 2007 but by ensuring that the relevant actors highlighted the challenges in implementing the recommendations.

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS  Training, education and public awareness - Took full custody of the TRC Archives in 2007 (as was recommended by the TRC) Organised workshops and radio programmes to disseminate the TRC report Organised training for Commissioners and staff on the TRC Recommendations on Women Completed and Digitized all records in the TRC Archives with assistance from the UNDP and Special Court Signed a MOU with the National Peace Museum to house the TRC Archives

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS Organised school tours of the National Vision to schools in Freetown, Bumpeh, Kamakwie, Kenema and Moyamba

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS  Policy Development Developed the TRC Archives Access Policy, so that the archives can be used by researchers Has a member serving in the Peace Museum Management Committee National Vision – took custody of the artefacts collected by the TRC under its National Vision for Sierra Leone project Digitize and created a computerized database (with names of contributors and their contributions) of all contributions made to the TRC National Vision for Sierra Leone Designed a brochure on the National Vision

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS Collaborated with OSIWA and the International Centre for Transitional Justice to revive and upgrade the TRC website Allocated a section in the Annual State of Human Rights Report in which it reports on the actions government and its partners take towards the implementation of the TRC recommendations

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS Advising government (and its partners) In its annual report on the State of Human Rights in Sierra Leone reports , the Commission reiterates its call on the government to fully implement of the TRC recommendations, especially the setting up of the TRC Follow up Committee Engage Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the setting up of the TRC Follow-Up Committee and assisted in the drafting of letter to moral guarantors

HRCSL INTERVENTIONS Other peacebuilding activities Led advocacy for and was relentless in its call for the Presidential Apology to women, which was eventually given by H.E.President Koroma in Moyamba in 2010 Led a pioneering advocacy role for the establishment and the Launching of the Trust Fund for War Victims Served as an observer member of the Reparations Steering Committee Continuously Engages Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund for War Victims on fund raising strategies, to raise monies to sustain the War Victims Fund

THE UPR AND COSNTITUTIONAL REVIEW PROCESS We have always referenced and added the TRC recommendations as part of our recommendations to the UPR for Sierra leone In the position paper of the HRCSL presented to the CRC 2015 we focused on addressing issues of marginalization, discrimination unfair distribution of resources and poor social services provision which were some of the root causes of the conflict. CRC has taken most of the issues on board which we hope will be reflected in the final constitution.

CONDUCTING PUBLIC HEARING HRCSL Conducted a public hearing and gave a decision into the complaint of 311 Wounded in Action Military Personnel wrongly categorized as chronically ill and mentally imbalanced. This was an avenue for redress of these war affected military personnel and provided redress.

THANK YOU