UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, begins a two-day visit to Sierra Leone on Thursday to bolster human rights protection in the war-torn country. The purpose of her visit is to “assess the human rights situation in Sierra Leone and to express her support and solidarity for victims of human rights abuses in Sierra Leone as well as for their defenders,” according to the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL). The High Commissioner will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation of prominent African and international personalities that includes the former president of Botswana, Ketumile Masire. Robinson will meet President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and other senior government officials including Solomon Berewa, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and Dr Sama Banya, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. She will also have meetings with international and national human rights NGOs and humanitarian agencies as well as victims of rights abuses. A UN human rights official in Freetown told IRIN that Robinson would visit Kissy and Wellington in eastern Freetown. “These are both areas which were devastated during the fighting in January,” the offical said, adding that Robinson would “talk to people about their experiences at the hands of the rebels”. She is also scheduled to visit the amputee centre in Murray Town in western Freetown, the official added. The launch of a “Human Rights Manifesto for Sierra Leone” is seen as one of the highlights of her visit. “This represents a commitment by the government, local human rights groups, UNOMSIL and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote and advance the cause of human rights in Sierra Leone,” the official said.