Accessibility links

Breaking News
News

Court in Sierra Leone Sentences 10 People to Death for Treason

update

A court in Sierra Leone has sentenced 10 people to death for their roles in a plot to overthrow the government.

The men were convicted of treason following a 2003 attack on a military depot in Freetown. Prosecutors say the men wanted to seize arms and ammunition to oust the government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

The court sentenced one defendant to 10 years in prison. Four others were acquitted.

The attack has been linked to Johnny Paul Koroma, the former leader of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council that briefly ruled Sierra Leone following a military coup in 1997. He was a key player in the country's civil war. Mr. Koroma has been reported missing and presumed dead since 2003.

Some information for this story provided by AFP and Reuters.

XS
SM
MD
LG