Hello everyone; again, sorry it's taken so long since I last wrote. Work, problems with my internet access and other issues hindered my ability to update my blog as much as I will like to. I hope each and everyone of you are doing fine.
As I indicated in my last update, work has really been hectic lately (but i'm loving it). I am learning so much about the law and myself; more than I had expected to. It seem like every week, my responsibilities are increasing. I'm being challenged by my supervisors and colleagues. Just this past week, the Deputy Principal Defender called me into her office to discuss matter relating to the qualification of the lawyers representing some of the accused. As you may know, the office of the Principal Defender is synonymous to that of the Public Defender in the US. The office is responsible for ensuring that each accused gets a fair trial and that each attorney representing an accused is best qualified and presents that accused the best opportunity to defend himself. It was quite interesting and very education discussing those matters with her. We also discussed how to draft a memo relating to that issue.
On Wednesday, some students from the high school I attended while living in Sierra Leone visited the court. I participated in giving them a tour of the court and explaining the role each of its sections play. It was quite humbling and flattering to see how happy they wre to meet me. They asked me questions about myself, my stay in the US and my legal education. I was invited to visit the school this Friday to speak to the students about the importance of education, hardwork and their future plans. The education of children is of utmost importance to me, and I plan on using my time here (and my that in the US) to help as many children as possible to attend and stay in school.
Also this week, we finally finished the disclosure on Mr. Taylor's case on Monday. It was an experience unlike any other I have ever experienced. The work was hectic, tedious, exhausting, emotional, but also very educational. We were finally able to provide him all documents pertaining to the prosecutor's evidence against him. On Tuesday, after work, myself and other staffs from the Outreach section of the court attended a debate on the possible transfer of Mr. Taylot to the Hague at Fourah Bay College (three of my siblings attend school there). The students were quite passionate and knowledgeable about the issue. They were also quite intelligent and they made some very strong arguments in favor of and against the transfer of Mr. Taylor. The main argument in favor of his transfer is that of security and the main argument against his transfer is that of ensuring he gets a fair trial.
Also, a decision was reached in Mr. Taylor's motion challenging any possible change of venue. Three Judges ruled that the decision of whether to transfer Mr. Taylor to the Hagues is purely administrative and not legal; and since such decision has not yet been made by the President of the Court, his motion is premature. I believe that given the statute of the court (signed by both the UN and the govt. of Sierra Leone), it was the right decision. The statute's change of venue provision is administrative in nature, but does provide an avenue of appeal after such a decision.
Also, I met some interns this week and we all agreed to go out and get to know one another. The makeup of the court is quite international. I have met people from every continent and from over 20 countries. I met with an intern from the US (Crissy, who attends Brown University), Canada (Andrea who attends law school in London, Canada), Divya who is from India, but received her LLM from Columbia University, Charles from Pace University Law school in the US, Selwyn from Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone, Prudence from Uganda, Shautel from the UK, Liza from Australia, Michael from Austria and so on. It is really quite an experience meeting people from such diverse background and sharing and learning each other's cultures. It was quite educational. We all went to dinner on Friday, had nice conversations and then dancing at a club.
I drove us all (7 of us) in my uncle's 1983 BMW 3 series (stick shift which i'm not used to driving). It was quite an experience. We had a great time; and we plan on hanging out once in a while as a way to get away from the realities we face at work.
Today, Sunday, I went to Church with some of my family members, spent time with my grandma and the rest of my family and spent some time on the beach. My upcoming week will be filled with things to do. I'm suppose to be starting a new project this week. I'm sure it will be interesting. As you all know, I have a lot of work to do; but I do apologize for not updating my blog more frequently. I promise to do my best to better update my blog in the future.
I thank you all for your continued interest and I hope to hear from you all soon.
PICS: The first two pics are of me and some colleagues from work, the third is of me and students from my alma mater (Prince of Wales Secondary School) in front of the court building, the fourth is of children in my neighborhood and the last is of myself and some members of the congregation at the church I went to today. Thank you all and I hope to hear from you all soon.
Mo
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