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139 Witnesses to Testify Against Taylor

The Inquirer (Monrovia)
NEWS
April 26, 2007
Posted to the web April 26, 2007

By Melissa Chea-Annan & Morrison O.g. Sayon

The UN Backed Special War Crime Court in Sierra Leone has identified 139
witnesses to testify against the former Liberian leader, Charles Ghankay
Taylor.
The trial against Mr. Taylor is expected to start on June 4, 2007 in The Hague,
at the International Criminal Court, and the proceedings will take place under
the exclusive jurisdiction of the Special Court.
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday in Monrovia, the Prosecutor of the
Special Court, Stephen Rapp said the 139 witnesses who are expected to testify
against Mr. Taylor include Liberians, Sierra Leoneans, and people from other
regions around the world.
The Special Court Prosecutor reiterated that they are prosecuting the former
Liberian leader for alleged crimes he committed in Sierra Leone, and not for
crimes he committed in Liberia. He said the Court does not anticipate
prosecuting other Liberians before the Special Court.
He described Mr. Taylor's trial as a concrete example and a symbol of a turning
point for the regions, and that his trial is indeed a crucial component. Mr.
Rapp also said that their primary concern is to see a fair trial carried out at
the highest standards of international justice.
Speaking also at the press conference, the Acting Registrar, Herman Von Hebel
said the special Court would ensure access to the proceedings of the trial
against Mr. Charles Taylor through varieties of instruments. He said the
proceedings will be broadcast to the premises of the Special Court in Freetown,
and that members of the civil society from both Sierra and Liberia will
regularly travel to The Hague and be present at the proceedings.
Speaking further, the Acting Registrar indicated that, under the auspices of
the BBC World Service Trust, journalists from Sierra Leone and Liberia would,
on a rotational basis, be present at the proceedings in The Hague and will be
able to produce T.V. and Radio programmes and write articles about the
proceedings.
For his part, the Defendant Counsel, Vincent Nmehille disclosed that they are
fully prepared for the trial in that all of the necessary logistics needed for
the trial are now intact, and that they would do everything possible to give
the former Liberian leader a fair trial.
It was also disclosed during the briefing that Mr. Taylor, if found guilty,
would be sentenced to jail in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Principal Defender of the United Nations-backed Special Court in
Sierra Leone has broken silence on the transfer of former Liberian President,
Darkpannah Dr. Charles Ghankay Taylor from his Cell in Freetown to The Hague in
the Netherlands.
Responding to questions from Lawmakers in Monrovia, Vincent O. Nmehielle, a
Nigerian Lawyer who is the Principal Defender of the Court in Sierra Leone
revealed that he was not satisfied with the manner in which Mr. Taylor was
transferred from his cell in Freetown to the Hague. Mr. Nmehielle however,
noted that the transfer of Mr. Taylor is an international issue and as such,
nothing could have been done to change the situation.
When asked as to whether he, as Principal Defender of the court in charge of
the case at the time was informed about the transfer of the former Liberian
leader, Mr. Nmehielle said, "Mr. Taylor was informed about his transfer but he
was not informed about the time he would have left."
"For me, I was not informed about the transfer but I knew that he would have
been transferred and so, I told him to get prepared at all times by packing his
bag and whatever he had, but I was neither informed about the transfer nor did
I know the main date and this is where I was not satisfied.
"That night, at about twelve midnight, I was asked by authorities of the court
to give Mr. Taylor's number but I did not know what was going on so I inquired
why Taylor's number was needed at that time of the night. But the whole
situation is an international issue and so that's how it works," Mr. Nmehielle
explained.
A five-man delegation of the Special Court in Sierra Leone is in the country to
create awareness on the pending trial of Mr. Taylor who is facing war crime
charges in The Hague. The delegation is meeting government officials, members
of the Civil Society and the Legislature to acquaint them with development of
the trial.
The trial of the former Liberian President is set for June 4, 2007 in The
Hague. Mr. Taylor is facing 11-count charges.
He was sent back to Liberia by the Nigerian government following reports of his
disappearance from his exiled-home in Callaba, Nigeria. Mr. Taylor was
immediately taken to Sierra Leone upon his arrival at the Roberts International
Airport and was later transferred to The Hague due to what some West African
leaders considered as security threat if the trial were conducted in Sierra
Leone.
Additionally, the delegation of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, headed by
its Prosecutor, Stephen Rapp, met with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
yesterday. Members of the delegation informed the President that they were in
the country to meet with Liberians to explain the workings of the Special Court
ahead of the trial in The Hague of former President Charles Taylor.
An Executive Mansion release said, the court's Chief Prosecutor, Rapp, said it
was important that Liberians and Sierra Leoneans be informed about the
proceedings, to ensure that accurate information gets out. The Special court
for Sierra Leone prosecutor said the court was determined to ensure that the
trial is transparent, fair expeditious and accessible to everyone. A successful
trial, Mr. Rapp said, will have benefits for the sub-region, Africa and the
rest of the world.
The Principal Defender, Vincent Nmehielle, underscored the need to ensure that
the trial meets international standards wherein the fundamental rights of the
accused are guaranteed. He said his office has appointed a defense team, which
would administer and coordinate the process to ensure that Mr. Taylor's legal
interests are protected.
Responding, President Johnson Sirleaf welcomed the Special court's mission to
Liberia. She said Liberians are determined to put behind them the era of the
bitter past. The President also welcomed the court's decision to provide legal
defense that would provide the means for Mr. Taylor to have an effective
defense.
The Liberian leader expressed the hope that the trial of the accused would be
free, fair and humane and will end within a reasonable period of time, to allow
Liberians move forward to the future and pursue their development goals.
Yesterday's meeting with the President was attended by Foreign Minister,
Ambassador George Wallace; the Acting Registrar of the Court, as well as other
officials of the court.
Members of the Sierra Leone Special Court are expected to meet with the civil
society and Liberian Law-makers.


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