Prosecutor v. Norman
Sierra Leone Special Court
Case No. SCSL-2004-14-AR72(E) (31 May 2004)
- Written by Liz Nakamura, JD
Facts
Sam Norman (defendant) was the former deputy defense minister for Sierra Leone. The prosecutor for the Special Court of Sierra Leone (Special Court) (defendant), which has jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, charged Norman with war crimes for recruiting child soldiers under the age of 15 during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Norman moved to dismiss, arguing that (1) there was no customary international law barring the use of child soldiers under the age of 15; and (2) even if international treaties barred states from recruiting child soldiers under the age of 15, the treaties did not impose criminal liability on individuals.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ayoola, J.)
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