The long awaited verdict to determine the guilt or innocence of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor will be delivered at 11:00 AM on April 26, 2012, Special Court for Sierra Leone judges said today in a scheduling order issued in The Hague. Mr. Taylor, on trial for allegedly providing support to Revolutionary United Front (RUF) [...]
Dear readers – The article below is written by Professor Charles C. Jalloh at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. It originally appeared on the JURIST website, available here. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Open Society Justice Initiative. The case against the former Liberian [...]
February
10
2012
Judges Reject Taylor’s Request to Reopen Case
Judges of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague have rejected a request by former Liberian President Charles Taylor to reopen his defense case. On February 9, the judges unanimously ruled that the Taylor defense “has failed to establish any justification for the re-opening of its case.” Taylor’s defense team filed a motion on [...]
February
1
2012
Charles Taylor’s Lawyers Apply to Reopen Defense Case
Charles Taylor’s defense lawyers have made a request for judges to allow the former Liberian president to reopen his defense, almost one year after arguments in the case were concluded. The motion, filed on January 31, 2012, requests that the defense be allowed to “re-open its case in order to seek admission of Panel of Experts [...]
January
24
2012
As Newly Elected Presiding Judge, Justice Richard Lussick Could Deliver Final Judgment in Taylor Trial
On January 18, Justice Richard Lussick from the Republic of Samoa was elected as the Presiding Judge of Trial Chamber II, which is the chamber of judges that has heard evidence in the case of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Mr. Taylor has been on trial for his alleged involvement in the bloody conflict in Sierra Leone that lasted from [...]
Special Court for Sierra Leone judges have issued orders for two seperate contempt proceedings to be held in respect of allegations that several individuals have attempted to contact prosecution witnesses with bribes for them to recant their evidence against accused or convicted persons. The first contempt proceedings relate to allegations that persons acting on behalf [...]
March
11
2011
Taylor Trial Concludes; Judges Begin Deliberations
Today marked the historic end of the trial against Charles Taylor. After three-and-a-half years of trial, the Prosecution and Defense both addressed Trial Chamber II for the final time. The parties referred to the passion, intensity, and emotions that became hallmarks of this trial, but thanked everyone involved for their hard work and dedication over [...]
Today, the Defense for Charles Taylor concluded its closing arguments. Taylor is charged with eleven counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international law. He denies all of the charges against him and his legal team has presented a vigorous case in his defense. Yesterday and today, the court heard [...]
After nearly three-and-a-half years, Trial Chamber II at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) has heard evidence from the Prosecution and Defense about whether Taylor bears the greatest responsibility for the crimes committed during Sierra Leone’s eleven year conflict. After much anticipation, the Defense finally presented its closing arguments today, marking the beginning of [...]
Charles Taylor’s defense team will finally have the chance to make their closing argument on Wednesday this week, bringing an end to an almost one month impasse that plagued the former Liberian president’s trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague. The schedule for the defense to make their closing argument was [...]
