Swiss supreme court upholds Liberian ex-rebel commander’s 20-year sentence
The court kept Alieu Kosiah’s war-crimes sentence while overturning a separate conviction for crimes against humanity.
TL;DR
- Switzerland’s supreme court upheld a 20-year prison sentence for former Liberian rebel commander Alieu Kosiah.
- It acquitted him of crimes against humanity because the relevant Swiss offense could not be applied retroactively.
- His war-crimes convictions remained in force.
Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court upheld the 20-year sentence of former Liberian rebel commander Alieu Kosiah while overturning his conviction for crimes against humanity. Al Jazeera and SWI swissinfo.ch reported the ruling on 2026-10-30. [1] [2]
The court said Switzerland introduced the offense of crimes against humanity into its law in 2011, after the conduct at issue. Applying it to earlier acts would violate the principle against retroactive punishment, the reports said. [1] [2]
In 2021 a Swiss court convicted Kosiah over atrocities during Liberia’s first civil war, Al Jazeera reported. In 2023 an appeals chamber upheld his war-crimes sentence and added the crimes-against-humanity conviction that the supreme court has now overturned. [1]
Al Jazeera said the supreme court’s decision was dated 2026-09-28 and published on 2026-10-30. The acquittal on one legal charge did not overturn the war-crimes convictions or the prison term. [1] [2]
Why it matters
The ruling shows how limits on retroactive criminal law can affect one international-crimes charge while leaving war-crimes convictions and punishment intact. It is relevant to how national courts handle accountability for conflicts abroad.
Editor's note
Both outlets report the court’s ruling; the acquittal on crimes against humanity must not be presented as an acquittal on the war-crimes charges.