Former Liberian warlord Taylor set to face trial in the Netherlands
Taylor, presented in handcuffs on Wednesday to the UN-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone, is charged with 17 counts of crimes against humanity stemming from a rebellion that left many thousands dead or maimed.
The special tribunal for Sierra Leone yesterday asked the Netherlands to host Taylor’s war crimes trial
A spokesman for the Hague-based International Criminal Court, Ernest Sagaga, said if the UN asked it to host the trial, “the authorities of the ICC will have to consider it”.
Taylor’s first court appearance is was still expected to be held in Sierra Leone, perhaps as early as today.
Taylor’s supporters have complained he might not get a fair trial in Sierra Leone. He still has the backing of many in Liberia, which borders Sierra Leone.
He will be the first African head of state to face an international war crimes tribunal.
Taylor’s 1989 insurgency in Liberia - which killed 200,000 - helped tilt the region into crisis.
Romeo Snehtie, 39, from Liberia said: “The mayhem and destruction he brought has to be accounted for... We will remember him as a leader who was strong but who did not use his might for the improvement for the Liberian people.”
Liberia, once among the richer countries in West Africa, is now one of its poorest. The capital, Monrovia, has not had government-supplied electricity, water or sewerage for more than a decade.
Taylor helped pioneer the use of child soldiers, often kidnapped from their parents and drugged. His fighters still are believed to roam Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast.
Former political adviser at the Sierra Leone court, Eric Witte, said: “His arrest is a watershed for West Africa, as it not only prevents Taylor from future troublemaking, but may signal a new international approach to the region - one built on accountability.”
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