UN court convicts Sierra Leone rebels of war crimes

The UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone convicted three rebel leaders on Wednesday of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Liberia's Taylor ordered cannibalism, court told

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor ordered his militias to eat the flesh of captured enemies and United Nations soldiers, a former close aide testified on Thursday at Taylor's war crimes trial. "He [Taylor] said we should eat them. Even the UN white people -- he said we could use them as pork to eat," said Joseph "ZigZag" Marzah.

Taylor trial hears of arms-for-diamonds exchanges

A former comrade-in-arms of Charles Taylor on Wednesday told judges at the former Liberian president's war-crimes trial that Taylor ordered him to take arms to Sierra Leone rebels and exchange them for diamonds. Joseph Marzah told the court that in the early 1990s he went to Sierra Leone about 40 times with transports carrying rifles and rockets.

Charles Taylor trial hears of rebel atrocities

A former rebel fighter testified in the war-crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor on Tuesday that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone killed and raped civilians and burned their homes. Dennis Koker (39) told the Special Court for Sierra Leone how RUF rebels "started shooting at people, killing them".

Taylor lawyers attack credibility of witness

A defence lawyer for war-crimes suspect and former Liberian president Charles Taylor on Monday attempted to destroy the credibility of a key prosecution witness at his trial, accusing him of "always hating" the accused. Completing three days of cross-questioning, lawyer Courtenay Griffiths said the witness had a "personal history" of plotting against Taylor.

Taylor lawyers seek to discredit witness

Lawyers for Charles Taylor on Thursday sought to discredit a witness who told the court of the former Liberian president's ties with Revolutionary United Front rebels in Sierra Leone, contending that he was biased against Taylor. Defence counsel Courtenay Griffiths stressed that the witness was once one of Taylor's sworn enemies.

Taylor funded and armed Sierra Leone rebels, says aide

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor funded and armed a rebel leader in neighbouring Sierra Leone, one of his top aides told a United Nations-backed war crimes court on Wednesday. Taylor is on trial for orchestrating rape, murder, mutilation and recruitment of child soldiers during the 1991 to 2002 Sierra Leone civil war.

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