By Associated Press - Monday, April 14, 2014

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) - A court martial of 14 soldiers accused of mutiny has opened in the capital of the West African nation of Sierra Leone.

Each soldier faces eight counts of mutiny, according to the charge sheet read out in court on Monday. The soldiers were arrested in August 2013 on suspicions they were planning a meeting aimed at destabilizing the democratically elected government.

All 14 pleaded not guilty to the charges, and they were denied bail. The penalty for mutiny is death by firing squad.

Sierra Leone is still slowly recovering from a devastating civil war that ended in 2002, though it has held elections since them that were deemed to be transparent.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide