UN-backed court calls diamond expert in Taylor trial
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THE HAGUE: Prosecutors called an expert on Sierra Leone's illegal diamond trade, which funded one of Africa's bloodiest wars, as the trial of former President Charles Taylor of Liberia on charges for war crimes began in earnest Monday.
Taylor, once one of Africa's most feared warlords, faces charges of rape, murder, mutilation and recruitment of child soldiers at the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, which was set up to try those most responsible for the conflict that lasted from 1991 to 2002.
Taylor, the first former African head of state to face an international court, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He looked relaxed in court, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles, a dark suit and tie.
More than a quarter of a million people were killed in intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone that shocked the world with stories and images of child soldiers high on drugs who killed, raped and looted.
Prosecutors want the trial to set a precedent worldwide and end decades of impunity for African strongmen.
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Taylor is accused of trying to gain control of Sierra Leone's mineral wealth, particularly its diamond mines, and seeking to destabilize its government.
Prosecutors called as their first witness Ian Smillie, a Canadian expert on the trade in conflict diamonds or "blood diamonds," which were smuggled out of Africa and used to fund wars.
Smillie said diamonds had a history of destabilizing Sierra Leone, describing his time as a teacher in a diamond-producing area in 1967 and 1968.
"It was very volatile - almost like a Wild West town," he said. "There were thousands of illicit diamond diggers."
Smillie was to be followed on the stand by a victim of the violence in Sierra Leone, and then by an insider who was once close to Taylor's regime.
In Sierra Leone, a generation of civilian amputees - their hands or legs hacked off by rebels - are a painful reminder of the cruelty of the conflict, in which drugged rebels and militias killed, raped and maimed.
The trial is being held in The Hague because of fears it could spur instability if held in Sierra Leone.
Prosecutors intend to call 144 witnesses but hope that half of them can submit their testimony in writing, allowing the prosecuting team to wrap up their case in around eight months.
They expect a judgment by the end of 2009, though an appeal would be likely to stretch into 2010.
Taylor boycotted the opening of his trial last June in a dispute over the resources allocated to his defense, prompting legal wrangling and repeated delays. More funds were eventually made available to Taylor and a new defense team was appointed in July. The former strongman is receiving legal aid despite suspicions that he amassed a considerable personal fortune.
In the past, ousted African dictators have often fled overseas to live out their days unpunished. Taylor found exile in Nigeria after being overthrown in 2003, but he was later handed to the court under international pressure.
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