Liberia's Taylor boycotts war crimes trial
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
THE HAGUE, Jun 4 (Reuters): Liberia's former President Charles Taylor boycotted the opening of his trial in The Hague for war crimes in Sierra Leone on Monday, saying he had lost faith in the UN-backed court.
"I cannot participate in a charade that does no justice to the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone," the Liberian warlord said in a letter read by a defence lawyer, who said Taylor now wanted to represent himself.
"I choose not to be a figleaf of legitimacy for this court," Taylor said in the letter.
Taylor, 59, faces charges of instigating murder, rape, mutilation and the recruitment of child soldiers in the 1991-2002 civil war that left 50,000 dead.
He has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a case that prosecutors and human rights campaigners hope will send a signal that nobody can escape punishment for atrocities, including heads of state.
Even among Africa's horrific wars, the fighting in Sierra Leone stood out for its exceptional brutality -- casual murder, mass rapes, the hacking of limbs from civilians and the press ganging of child soldiers as young as eight.
"I cannot participate in a charade that does no justice to the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone," the Liberian warlord said in a letter read by a defence lawyer, who said Taylor now wanted to represent himself.
"I choose not to be a figleaf of legitimacy for this court," Taylor said in the letter.
Taylor, 59, faces charges of instigating murder, rape, mutilation and the recruitment of child soldiers in the 1991-2002 civil war that left 50,000 dead.
He has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a case that prosecutors and human rights campaigners hope will send a signal that nobody can escape punishment for atrocities, including heads of state.
Even among Africa's horrific wars, the fighting in Sierra Leone stood out for its exceptional brutality -- casual murder, mass rapes, the hacking of limbs from civilians and the press ganging of child soldiers as young as eight.