Morning Session: Examination of Witness TF1-358 Continues

10:00am: Court resumed in open session and prosecution counsel Mr. Mohamed Bangura continued the examination of Expert Witness TF1-358.

Mr. Bangura spent the whole of the morning session showing photographs to the witness for identification and admission into evidence by the court.

Counsel first asked that the witness be shown Photograph No. 8. The photograph, which the witness said was taken by himself showed a makeshift shed with dying patients. He then identified Photograph No. 9, which he said was taken by himself showing a burnt out building of Institution No. 1.

The witness identified Photographa No. 11 with two photographs which showed one taken by the witness of a bilaterally amputated patient and the second one taken by the witness’s assistant on his instruction.

Photographa No. 11 was taken by the witness in 1998 at Institution No. 2 showing young female and male children who were both fire-burn victims of rebel attrocities.

The next photograph was taken by the witness in January 1999 at Institution No. 2. It showed victims of the January 1999 invasion of Freetown upon whom the witness had done surgeries.

Photograph No. 20 was taken by the witness in mid-1998 at Institution No. 2 and it showed a 12 year old boy who was thrown into a fire by rebel forces. He said that boy had 2 to 3 degree burns and was badly malnourished.

Next photograph was taken by the witness at Institution No. 2 in mid-1998 and it showed a young boy who was amputated by rebels in the north of Sierra Leone.

Photograph No. 21 was taken by the witness and it showed a young farmer who was amputated by rebel forces in the north of Sierra Leone.

Photograph No. 26 was taken by the witness in mid-1998 at Institution No. 2 and it showed four persons–a male adult, a young man and two females amputated by rebel forces. The two women were from the east of the country while the elderly man was from the north.

Photograph No. 27 was taken by the witness in mid-1998 at Institution No. 2 and it showed three child victims standing with a lady who had been depicted in previous photographs.

Photograph No. 31 was given to the witness by the former Minister of Information and it showed rebels who were caught and were dealt with by civilians. It was taken in january 1999.

The next photgraph showed a set of photos on one page. The witness took two of the photos while the other two were given to him by the former minister of information.

The witness identified several other photographs, some of which were taken by himself and some taken by the former minister of information. Some of the photographs showed buildings such as police stations, banks, etc which were destroyed during the January 1999 invasion of Freetown and some showed dead bodies of civilians in front of the Cannaught Hospital in Freetown. He further identified several other photographs taken by himself when he took Christmas gifts to amputees at the amputee camp in Freetown. He said that some of the amputees were his previous patients when they were wounded by rebel forces.

In Photograph No. 51, the witness identified a lady at Institution No. 2. He said that the lady had been gang raped by seven rebels in the central part of Freetown during the January 1999 invasion of Freetown and her eyes were plucked out so that she could not identify her victims. He said that the lady was a suckling mother who had gone out to find food to eat. He said he provided medical attention for the witness but since she was also mentally unstable, he had to provide counselling services for her.

Court adjounred for mid-morning break.