Day Eighty-Eight: Charles Taylor on trial

It's a critical moment for the United Nations, and for West Africa, as yet another high-profile UN-backed trial gets underway in the Hague. This time, former Liberian president Charles Taylor is in the witness stand, accused in relation to atrocities committed by the RUF (a rebel force that, prosecutors argue, had links to Taylor) in Sierra Leone. As with the UN-backed trial in Cambodia (on which I have posted previously) the 'Special Court for Sierra Leone' has been slow to begin its deliberations. The court was originally established in Sierra Leone, but was moved to the Hague due to security concerns, and further delays were caused when Taylor said he could no longer afford a defense lawyer and a replacement had to be found. Proving the case against Taylor will be difficult - much of the evidence linking him to RUF violence is circumstantial and not all witnesses will attend in person (some are under witness protection schemes). But many see the trial as hugely symbolic. It's an important step towards social justice and reconstruction in Sierra Leone. And it's also an important test of the UN courts system, which is cumbersome and expensive and needs to 'prove its worth' in many people's eyes. What is undoubtedly impressive, however, is the determination of those engaged in such trials - new obstacles are thrown in their way and they doggedly work through them. It makes me hopeful that, one way or another, the Taylor trial will run its course. (Picture and linked article from BBC online.)

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You can follow the trial 'live' by logging on to the Charles Taylor Trial blog at http://charlestaylortrial.org. The Open Society Institute has joined forces with the legal firm Clifford Chance and the International Senior Lawyers Project to develop and maintain the blog, which gives minute-by-minute summaries of the trial process in addition to expert commentary and some useful background information. It's justice in action, live on the web.