  |  | | Ex-Rebell: "Ich aß Kinderherzen" - Kurier
13.05.2008
G erüchte über Menschenopfer im Bürgerkrieg in Liberia gibt es schon lange, aber zum ersten Mal hat sich jemand öffentlich dazu bekannt: Milton Blahyi, ein ehemals ... |
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| |  | | Charles Taylor | | | context : | Sierra Leone  | | judgement place : | Sierra Leone Special Court | | status : | On trial | | particulars : | Transferred to the Special Court for Sierra Leone on 29 March 2006; pleaded not guilty on 3 April 2006; trial in The Hague began on 4 June 2007; trial resumed on 7 January 2008 | | position : | President of Liberia |
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| | | | The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) indicted Charles Taylor on 7 March 2003. The indictment contains charges for crimes against humanity, violations of common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and the Second Additional Protocol, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law according to articles 2, 3 and 4 of the Court's statute.
According to the indictment, the RUF and AFRC shared a common plan and purpose, thus forming a joint criminal enterprise which was to take any actions necessary to gain and exercise political power and control over the territory of Sierra Leone, in particular the diamond mining areas. The indictment states that Charles Taylor took part in this joint criminal enterprise.
On the basis of his acts and omissions and his responsibility as a superior, Charles Taylor was initially indicted on 17 counts for the following crimes:
- Extermination, murder, rape, enslavement and other inhuman acts as crimes against humanity;
- Violations of common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and of the Second Additional Protocol: Acts of terrorism, collective punishments against the civilian population, violence to life and person, outrages upon personal dignity, pillage and abductions;
- Other serious violations of international humanitarian law, namely the recruitment of children under 15 years into armed forces.
On 23 July 2003, Charles Taylor opposed to this indictment and the arrest warrant stating that as a head of State at the time of the issuance of the indictment and the arrest warrant he enjoyed immunity from prosecution.
After examination of the international law in this matter, the Appeals Chamber on 31 May 2004 considered that as a principle, the sovereign equality of States does not prevent heads of States from being prosecuted by international criminal tribunals.
It found that Charles Taylor is subject to the jurisdiction of the Court and rejected his preliminary motion.
On March 16, 2006, the Special Court gave leave to amend the indictment against Charles Taylor. Under the amended indictment, Taylor is charged with only 11 counts, so as to ensure a more focused trial.
On March 17, 2006, it became public that Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had asked Nigeria to hand over Charles Taylor. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has always stated that he would transfer Taylor to face justice only if Liberia requested it.
On March 25, 2006, the Nigerian government said that Nigeria would soon transfer Charles Taylor to Liberian custody. After attempting to get out of Nigeria, Charles Taylor was arrested on March 29, 2006 on the Cameroon border trying and transferred the same day to the SCSL.
On April 3, 2006, he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
On June 16, 2006, the UN Security Council authorized the transfer of Charles Taylor to The Hague, to be judged in the facilities of the International Criminal Court. The United Kingdom had previously accepted to offer detention facilities for Charles Taylor in case of his conviction.
On June 20, 2006, Charles Taylor was transfered to The Hague.
In September 2006, a provisional date of April 2, 2007, was set for the trial. On January 26, 2007, it was announced that the date for commencement of trial had been set back at the request of the defence to provide additional time for its preparations.
The trial began on 4 June 2007 with the opening statements of the prosecution while the defence was granted extra time to prepare.
The trial was postponed in order to give Taylor's new defense team time to prepare.
The trial resumed on 7 January 2008. | |     click for more... | | Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty. | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Liberia | | | date of birth : | | | 28.01.1948 | | | last time seen : | | | The Hague (Netherlands) | | | period of charges : | | | 30.11.1996 | | | judgement period : | | | 04.06.2007 | | | charges : | | | Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 07.01.2008 |
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