Inna Liniova, International Operations Advisor of the Ukrainian Bar Association, participated in a conference dedicated to the legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) and its contributions to international justice, peace, and security. The event took place on February 26-27, 2024, in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

The conference focused on the following themes:

1. The establishment and achievements of the SCSL, its role in the rule of law in Sierra Leone and Liberia, its landmark judicial practices, and contributions to transitional justice.

2. Lessons learned from the experience of the SCSL and their application to efforts in transitional justice within the ECOWAS subregion and beyond; discussion on the complementarity with other transitional justice mechanisms.

3. The impact of the SCSL on capacity building, the effectiveness of war crimes trials, and the strengthening of the local judicial system.

4. Raising awareness of the SCSL legacy through education, lectures, and training. The importance of protecting and supporting witnesses and victims.

5. Risks of historical revisionism, unawareness, or forgetting. The importance of remembering the war to preserve the SCSL's legacy.

6. The future of residual and investigative mechanisms, discussing their powers and roles in continuing the legal obligations of their predecessors.

Conference participants also addressed issues related to Ukraine, particularly discussing how the experience of the SCSL could be beneficial in establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Among the speakers and moderators of the conference were:

• Amb. Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-At-Large for Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State;
• Karim A. A. Khan KC, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court;
• Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations Office of Legal Affairs;
• Stephen Rapp, Fmr. United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues; Fmr. Prosecutor, SCSL;
• Justice Ekaterina Trendafilova, President, Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office (KSC);
• James C. Johnson, Prosecutor, RSCSL;
• Binta Mansaray, RSCSL Registrar.

The conference was attended by representatives of other international judicial mechanisms, as well as SCSL judges, officials, human rights activists, academics, and victims of conflicts from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia, and other African countries.

Inna Liniova spoke to the participants about the importance of disseminating information among the Ukrainian justice system regarding the practices of international judicial institutions. According to her, this would strengthen the national capability to handle cases of international crimes.

Additionally, Ms. Liniova shared information about judicial reform in Ukraine and its key achievements, including public participation in the selection of judges, measures for judicial branch accountability to society, transparency in the system of selection and evaluation of judges, and more.