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Two newly rehabilitated magistrate courts in Sierra Leone's northern districts of Makeni and Magburaka started their sittings on Monday for the first time in more than 10 years, UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) official, Patrick Coker told IRIN on Tuesday.
The courts, handed over to the government at the weekend by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Alan Doss, were rehabilitated and furnished with UNAMSIL Trust Fund provided by the government of Japan and the Netherlands, a news release from UNAMSIL said on Monday.
Speaking at the hand over, Doss said that the restoration of the judiciary in the country marked the beginning of an era in which "citizens are given a chance to address their grievances through the courts of law rather than taking the law into their own hands".
He said the magistrate court in the northern Kambia district was now functioning with the support of the UN Development Programme and added that work would soon start to rehabilitate the courts in the northern Koinadugu district and Kono district in the east.
The country's Vice-President Solomon Berewa who inaugurated the courts promised that the government would ensure that the judiciary functions the way it should and called on those in the legal profession to dispense justice because upholding the rule of law "contribute to peace".
The Chief Justice, Abdulai Timbo said justices of the peace soon to be established in each district to complement the work of the judiciary.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
