Paris trial opens over crimes against humanity in Liberia

By SYLVIE CORBET and JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH

PARIS (AP) — A former Liberian rebel is going on trial in Paris on charges of crimes against humanity, torture and acts of barbarism during the West African country’s civil war in the 1990s. Kunti Kamara is notably accused of “complicity in massive and systematic torture and inhumane acts” against the civilian population committed in Liberia’s Lofa county in 1993-1994. He was then one of the leaders of an armed group. He was arrested near Paris in 2018 and faces life imprisonment. The trial by the Paris criminal court has been made possible under a French law that recognizes universal jurisdiction for crimes against humanity and acts of torture. Rights groups hailed it as an important step to bring justice to victims.