Prosecutors To Cross Examine Alleged Liberian War Criminal
11.10.09 |
Prosecutors for the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone will start cross-examining former Liberian President Charles Taylor today. Taylor is the first African ruler to stand trial for war crimes. He was indicted by the UN-backed court in 2003 on 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed in the late 1990s during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Taylor allegedly became involved in the neighboring country's bloody conflict to gain control of Sierra Leone's diamond mines and bolster his power in the region. Prosecutors claim he directed a rebel group known as the Revolutionary United Front to launch a terrorist campaign against the people of Sierra Leone that left thousands dead or mutilated. The indictment was eventually condensed to eleven counts, including terrorism, rape, murder, enslavement, pillaging, sexual slavery and conscription of child soldiers. The 61-year-old has pled not guilty to all charges. He finished testifying in his own defense on Monday. If convicted, Taylor could serve jail time in Britain.
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