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Taylor's Trial Starts June 4

Concord Times (Freetown)
NEWS
May 1, 2007
Posted to the web May 1, 2007

By Ibrahim Seibure
Freetown
Acting Registrar, Herman von Hebel of the United Nations backed Special Court
for Sierra Leone last week disclosed to journalists in Monrovia, Liberia that
former President Charles Taylor's trial is expected to start on June 4, 2007 in
The Hague at the premises of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He stressed that although the premises of the ICC is going to be used, Taylor
will remain to be within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Special Court for
Sierra Leone, and that the proceedings will be in conformity with its own
proceedings.
"The reason for our visit and for us being here lies in the Security Council
Resolution 1688 which provided for the transfer of Charles Taylor to The Hague.
Also it provided us with the obligation to make the trial against Charles
Taylor as accessible as possible to the public in Sierra Leone and in the
region, and in particular to Liberia," Hebel stated.
"Also, and that is under the auspices of the BBC World Service Trust, we have
elaborated a programme with the BBC which will allow for journalists, both from
Sierra Leone and from Liberia on a rotational basis, to go to The Hague and go
to the proceedings in the case of Charles Taylor. Those journalists will be
based there for up to about three months and will then rotate with other
colleagues. During their presence, and also when coming back, they will be
assisted by the BBC in producing documentaries, in making media presentations,
and also use that work in any outreach activities that may take place in the
country. And so we will do that on a rotational basis so that the number of
journalists, and again from both countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia, will be
able to have their own coverage of the proceedings." He added, "Also what we
will have is that there will be members of Civil Society, and here again from
Sierra Leone and Liberia, that will be invited to come over to The Hague for
about a week and actually see the proceedings themselves so that they have a
full picture of how the proceedings are going, make their own assessment, share
that with members of their organizations, and see simply how the proceedings
are working, and how fair and effective trial is being given to Mr. Taylor," he
said.


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