The News Review:

- … Background: Overview of human rights issues in Sierra Leone…
- UN chief appeals for funds for post-conflict Sierra Leone.
- Diplomatic service and overseas list
- Essential Background: Overview of human rights issues in Liberia…

… Background: Overview of human rights issues in Sierra Leone…
hrw.org – Dec 31, 2003
-mandated Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), established to bring to justice those "who bear the greatest responsibility" for atrocities during the war, had, by the end of 2003, indicted thirteen people for war crimes, including former Liberian president Charles Taylor and former Sierra Leone government minister Hinga Norman. The court aimed to begin trials in early 2004. The Nigerian government, however, which offered Charles Taylor a safe haven in August 2003 when rebels threatened to take the Liberian capital Monrovia, has refused to hand him over to the SCSL. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created in 2002 in accordance with the terms of the 1999 Lomé peace accord, and is tasked with establishing an impartial historical record of the conflict, promoting reconciliation and making recommendations to prevent a repetition of the violence, successfully conducted hearings country-wide and was set to publish its report in early 2004. Corruption Corruption within both the public and private sectors in Sierra Leone remains endemic…
The Nigerian government, however, which offered Charles Taylor a safe haven in August 2003 when rebels threatened to take the Liberian capital Monrovia, has refused to hand him over to the SCSL. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created in 2002 in accordance with the terms of the 1999 Lomé peace accord, and is tasked with establishing an impartial historical record of the conflict, promoting reconciliation and making recommendations to prevent a repetition of the violence, successfully conducted hearings country-wide and was set to publish its report in early 2004. Corruption Corruption within both the public and private sectors in Sierra Leone remains endemic. The government Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), created in 2000 largely due to pressure from international donors, has been subject to political interference and there have been very few convictions for corruption-related offenses. In October 2003, the first of three judges from other Commonwealth countries arrived in Sierra Leone, funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) in conjunction with the British government's Department for International Development (DfID), to hear corruption-related matters within the High Court. There are plans for a Commonwealth-provided prosecutor to join the three judges in the first several months of 2004. Dysfunctional Judicial System Efforts to refurbish numerous court buildings destroyed during the war have helped improve court infrastructure and at by the end of 2003, magistrates' courts were functioning in all of Sierra Leone's fourteen provinces.

UN chief appeals for funds for post-conflict Sierra Leone.
highbeam.com – Dec 31, 2003
find Xinhua News Agency articles. UNITED NATIONS, Dec 31, 2003 (Xinhua via COMTEX) United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan appealed Wedne.

Diplomatic service and overseas list
BBC News – Dec 31, 2003
For services to journalism. Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor, DSO, OBE. For services to literature and to UK-Greek relations. ORDER OF THE BATH CB Michael Leo Haygarth Doyle. Director for Policy and Resources, GCHQ.

Essential Background: Overview of human rights issues in Liberia…
hrw.org – Dec 31, 2003
peacekeepers in late 2003 in and around Monrovia brought about marked improvements in the human rights situation there, attacks against civilians by former government troops, LURD and MODEL continued in the hinterland. Accountability for past abuses remains unclear: although the peace agreement provides for a truth and reconciliation commission, it also says that a recommendation for a general amnesty will be considered by the transitional government at a future date. The Nigerian government, which offered Charles Taylor a safe haven in August 2003 when rebels threatened to take Monrovia itself, has refused to hand him over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which has indicted him for war crimes connected with his support for rebels in Sierra Leone. Ongoing Insecurity and Related Abuses Abuses by Government Forces Abuses by LURD Forces Abuses by MODEL Forces The Use of Child Soldiers by Government Forces, LURD, and MODEL Small Arms, Mercenaries, Sanctions Key International Actors Ongoing Insecurity and Related Abuses The rural areas of Liberia continue to be plagued by insecurity. By December 2003, only 5,000 of peacekeepers from the U. Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) had been deployed, with promised contributions of troops from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Ukraine yet to arrive…
peacekeepers in late 2003 in and around Monrovia brought about marked improvements in the human rights situation there, attacks against civilians by former government troops, LURD and MODEL continued in the hinterland. Accountability for past abuses remains unclear: although the peace agreement provides for a truth and reconciliation commission, it also says that a recommendation for a general amnesty will be considered by the transitional government at a future date. The Nigerian government, which offered Charles Taylor a safe haven in August 2003 when rebels threatened to take Monrovia itself, has refused to hand him over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which has indicted him for war crimes connected with his support for rebels in Sierra Leone. Ongoing Insecurity and Related Abuses Abuses by Government Forces Abuses by LURD Forces Abuses by MODEL Forces The Use of Child Soldiers by Government Forces, LURD, and MODEL Small Arms, Mercenaries, Sanctions Key International Actors Ongoing Insecurity and Related Abuses The rural areas of Liberia continue to be plagued by insecurity. By December 2003, only 5,000 of peacekeepers from the U. Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) had been deployed, with promised contributions of troops from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Ukraine yet to arrive.