The Trial of Charles Taylor


by Alpha Sesay

Weapons were never transported from Charles Taylor’s White Flower residence in Monrovia for use by rebel forces in Sierra Leone, Mr. Taylor told the Special Court for Sierra Leone today.
“Nobody ever picked up weapons from White Flower. Nobody ever picked up a single weapon there, not even Benjamin Yeaten,” the accused former Liberian president said [...]

by Alpha Sesay

Charles Taylor did not command Sierra Leonean rebel commander Issa Sesay to release the United Nations hostages, but rather conveyed the message of the international community that the peacekeepers had to be released unconditionally, he said today.
“Its a lie. I did not command him. The only thing I did on the UN situation was to tell [...]

by Alpha Sesay

Charles Taylor this week made efforts to refute the evidence of key prosecution witnesses against him, including allegations that he made a pact with Sierra Leone’s rebel leader to help each other in their respective wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. He also rebuffed as “lies” prosecution evidence that he ordered the execution of [...]

by Alpha Sesay

Charles Taylor today said he did not order the the assassination of one of Sierra Leone’s top rebel commanders during the country’s civil war, and dismissed as “lies” allegations that he knew that Sierra Leonean rebels were recruiting fighters in Liberia in areas controlled by Mr. Taylor’s own fighting force.
In a day of [...]

by Alpha Sesay

Charles Taylor today made efforts to refute a prosecution witness’ claim that Mr. Taylor was part of a common plan to destabilize West Africa.
Between Febrary 8 to 11 2008, the Prosecution’s eleventh witness, a Gambian named Suwandi Camara, testified that that Mr. Taylor, together with Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh, and a Gambian [...]

by Alpha Sesay

Charles Taylor did not order or know about an infamous operation launched by rebel forces in Sierra Leone during its civil war aiming to ensure that anything that had life must be killed, he told Special Court for Sierra Leone judges today.
“I was not aware of ‘Operation No Living Thing’,” Mr. Taylor said at his trial in The Hague.
During [...]

by Alpha Sesay

Charles Taylor and Sierra Leone’s rebel leader Foday Sankoh did not have any pact to render mutual assistance to each other for their respective wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the accused former Liberian president told Special Court for Sierra Leone judges today at his trial in The Hague.
“I had no pact with RUF leader [...]

by Alpha Sesay

The Trial Chamber hearing the Charles Taylor case sat for only one day this week as Mr. Taylor’s defense counsel Courtenay Griffiths reported ill. On Monday, the only day in the week on which court proceedings were held, Mr. Taylor told Special Court for Sierra Leone judges that significant shipments of weapons, intended for use by [...]

by Tracey Gurd

Dear Readers,
Just a quick note to let you know that the posting of comments will be delayed this weekend.  I am away with limited access to the internet until Tuesday. Sorry to slow down the conversation as it is so lively at the moment, but I promise to post your comments as soon as possible, [...]

by Tracey Gurd

Dear Readers,
Here is our final post in the three-part series of answers to your questions by Mr. Rapp.  We’ll look forward to your comments and reactions to the issues Mr. Rapp raises.
QUESTION:
Bnker asked: “would you be willing to prosecute presidents and former presidents of the US for war crimes as well?”
Aki asked: “You have [...]


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