Facts
Massaquoi was a former lieutenant-colonel and a spokesperson of the RUF and assistant to the group’s founder, Foday Sankoh. The RUF was a Sierra Leonean rebel group which had close ties to former Liberian president Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) during the Sierra Leonean civil war (1991-2002). In March 1991, the RUF, with support of the NPFL, attempted to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government, sparking the start of the civil war. According to the Finnish prosecution authorities, Massaquoi committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Liberia between 2001 and 2003, including murder, sexual violence and torture.
Procedure
In 2002, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) was established. Massaquoi offered to collaborate and became a top informer for the prosecution. In 2009 and 2012 respectively, the SCSL convicted three former senior leaders of the RUF and Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sierra Leone. Massaquoi was not charged with any crimes by the SCSL.
As part of their regular investigation and documentation efforts, the Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima and its Liberian sister organization, the Global Justice and Research Project (GJRP), found evidence that Massaquoi had allegedly committed, overseen and ordered international crimes in Liberia.
Based on indications that he was present in Finland, Civitas Maxima and the GJRP submitted information to the authorities in Finland in 2018 regarding Massaquoi’s alleged involvement in mass atrocities in Liberia. Following a preliminary investigation, Finland’s prosecutor general issued an order to proceed with the case.
Finnish police investigators visited Liberia on several occasions beginning in early 2019 to hear witnesses in cooperation with Liberian authorities.
On 10 March 2020, Massaquoi was arrested by Finnish police in Tampere, Finland, on charges of war crimes and aggravated violation of human rights in a state of emergency including murder, rape, torture, assault, forced labor and violation of the dignity of the dead. Massaquoi was also charged with the recruitment and use of child soldiers, but these charges were later dropped by the prosecution.
On 13 January 2021, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigations concluded its pre-trial investigation on Massaquoi and the case was officially handed over to the prosecutor.
On 3 February 2021, the trial against Massaquoi began in Finland. Throughout the year, hearings were held in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Finland. The proceedings lasted 62 days, and over 100 witnesses were heard.
The trial ended in January 2022 and Massaquoi was released from custody on 16 February 2022, awaiting judgment.
On 29 April 2022, the District Court dismissed all remaining charges and found that there was reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the offenses with which he was charged.
In May 2022, the prosecutor filed an 80-page appeal. The Court of Appeal granted the prosecutor leave to appeal.
The appeal proceedings, held by the Turku Court of Appeal, began on 10 January 2023 and ended on 8 September 2023. The court relocated to Liberia for most of the hearings.
On 31 January 2024, the Court of Appeal rendered its decision, acquitting Massaquoi of all charges.