Mohamed Bangura, a former leader of the Sierra Leone...

Mohamed Bangura, a former leader of the Sierra Leone rebel government who fled to Britain, appealed to Jack Straw, the British Home Secretary, not to deport him. "They bombed my village, destroyed my farm, and killed my brother because they could not get me," he said. Lord Avebury, vice-chairman of the parliamentary human rights group said "On the whole, I think he should be granted asylum, because he would be liable to the death penalty if he returned." The legitimate government of Sierra Leone had demanded his return on charges of collaborating with the rebels, whose tactics included hacking off the forearms of opponents.