Charles Taylor wants to ‘set the record straight’

FORMER Liberian president Charles Taylor, on trial for war crimes, wants to set the record straight about his role in a savage civil war that tore apart Sierra Leone and left hundreds of thousands dead or mutilated, his lawyer said yesterday.

Opening Taylor’s defence, British lawyer Courtenay Griffiths said Taylor would take the stand today at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) for what is expected to be several weeks of testimony.

He urged the judges to give Taylor a fair hearing, and not to be overwhelmed by the parade of misery presented by the prosecution since the trial opened 18 months ago.