The Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Scope of its Legacy

Given the closure of the Special Court for Sierra Leone debates about its impact have intensified. The question of the significance of the Court's legacy is increasingly topical given its legal and political dimension. This article examines the notion of legacy in lieu of empirically assessing and measuring any legacy and develops a re-conceptualisation of the multifaceted process of leaving a legacy. It is argued that a deeper understanding requires a focus on multiple legacies as well as on multiple actors. The Court as legacy leaver has pioneered an institutional approach to legacy planning. Against the backdrop of ongoing construction its legacies have already become sites of contestation over the Court's significance for Sierra Leone, Africa and international criminal justice.