Former Liberia President faces War Crimes Charges
By
Tiffany Moore , Monday, August 07, 2006
Charles Taylor, Former President of Liberia, faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for actions taken in the war in Sierra Leone where diamonds were used to purchase arms for the Revolutionary United Front rebels.
Taylor went into exile in Nigeria in 2003 and was transferred to the Special Court in Sierra Leone after Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf requested extradition. The United Nations voiced concern about holding the trial in West Africa, and the Netherlands agreed to host the trial in June 2006.
Taylor pleaded not guilty in his first appearance at The Hague International Court of Justice on July 21, 2006.