Charles Taylor’s lawyers have asked Special Court for Sierra Leone judges to acquit Taylor, arguing the prosecution failed to show that Taylor bears responsibility for the crimes he is charged with committing. The defense admitted that Taylor provided arms to RUF rebels in Sierra Leone, but said “that support lasted only 18 months and ended long before the start of the Special Court’s mandate to try offenses committed in Sierra Leone,” according to this VOA article.
I think this is the first time the defense has made the admission that Taylor armed RUF rebels, though I could be wrong.
The prosecution will reply to this motion on Thursday, and the judges will make their ruling next week. If they deny the motion to acquit, the defense says Taylor will be the first witness they call.
No comments? I think we are all stunned.
If ol’Gahnquey MacArthur is acquitted it will be such a tremendous hideous waste. If this continues and defense puts him in the witness box it will be a total farce. It is all just so sickening. Anyone advocating for international jurisprudence after this should have their head examined.
If Taylor’s defence team admits that he provided arms to RUF who traded diamonds for arms just to brutally kill innocent poeple, Taylor must be guilty due to the fact that his government illegally got diamonds from Sierra Leone during the heat of that country’s crisis. For me, I believe that he[Taylor] continued his support to RUF to the end.