Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor, once one of Africa’s most feared strongmen, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of crimes against humanity over years of atrocities in Sierra Leone.
”Most definitely, I’m not guilty,” Taylor told Judge Richard Lussick at the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.
”Most definitely, I did not and could not have committed these acts against the sister republic of Sierra Leone,” he insisted, after Lussick read out the 11-count indictment against Taylor.
”I think this is an attempt to continue to divide and rule the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone.”
Taylor, who appeared wearing a dark suit and brown tie, also questioned the court’s jurisdiction, the way he was arrested and the nature of the charges.
It was the first court appearance of the ex-warlord, making him the first former president on African soil to answer charges of crimes against humanity.
Security was visibly heightened early on Monday as UN peacekeeping troops from Mongolia, tasked to guard the Special Court for Sierra Leone, were seen marching to the detention cells where Taylor has been incarcerated since last Wednesday, after he was arrested while trying to flee his Nigerian sanctuary.
Armed Sierra Leonean police were also positioned around the perimeter wall of the 11-acre court compound.
If convicted, Taylor faces a lengthy prison term, but there is no death penalty, according to court officials.
The actual trial is not expected to begin for months at least, as the court has said it wants the proceedings moved to The Hague because of security concerns. It has also cited lack of adequate space this year at the courthouse in Freetown.
There are fears that the trial could ignite renewed unrest in the region, where Taylor is believed to still command widespread backing.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was beaten in the country’s 1997 controversial polls by Taylor, also wants the trial moved away from the volatile region.
But victims of Sierra Leone’s war want him tried in Freetown.
”The war took place here, so why try him elsewhere?” asked Abubakar Gbo, both of whose hands were hacked off by Taylor-backed rebels in 1999.
”Taylor once said Sierra Leoneans would taste the bitterness of war, and now it is his turn to taste that bitterness,” declared Sahr Momodu Tarawally.
Taylor (58) is considered the single most powerful figure behind a series of civil wars in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone between 1989 and 2003, which between them left about 400 000 people dead.
Faced with a rebellion at home, Taylor stepped down from power in August 2003 following mediation by Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, who gave him temporary asylum until his dramatic abortive attempts to flee last week after Nigeria said Liberia could take him back. — AFP
