Source: BBC
A lawyer for Liberian ex-President Charles Taylor has walked out of court during the closing stages of the former leader's war crimes trial in The Hague.
Courtenay Griffiths had tried to submit his final written brief to the court 20 days after the deadline. He was angered when judges refused to accept it.
Mr Taylor is accused of fuelling Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s by arming rebels.
He denies 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The trial started in June 2007 and the verdict is expected later this year.
No RSVP
The prosecutors continued with their closing statement to the court despite Mr Griffiths' absence, according to the BBC's Eleanor Montague on Twitter.
Outside the courtroom, Mr Griffiths said he was refusing to "lend legitimacy to proceedings".
"How will posterity judge the credibility of this court if, at this 11th hour, they prevented Mr Taylor from presenting 90% of his closing arguments?" he said.
But prosecutor Brenda Hollis said Mr Griffiths had no right to walk out.
"The accused is not attending a social event. He may not RSVP at the last minute. He is the accused at a criminal proceeding," she said.
Later, Mr Taylor also did not return to the courtroom, an official telling the judges that he was upset and needed rest.
Judge Teresa Doherty said Mr Taylor and "deliberately blighted" the orders of the court, and ordered the hearing to continue.
Prosecutors say Mr Taylor, president of Liberia from 1997-2003, armed and controlled the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during a 10-year campaign of terror conducted largely against civilians.
The RUF became infamous for hacking off the limbs of their victims, and using rape and murder to terrorise the population.
"The crimes suffered by the people of Sierra Leone would not have occurred but for Taylor's supervision and support for the RUF," said prosecutors in their final trial brief.
Celebrity testimony
Mr Taylor said he had wanted to bring peace to Sierra Leone.
He is accused of selling "blood diamonds" for the rebels, in return for supplying them with weapons.
Last year supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Mia Farrow were summoned to give evidence.
The prosecution was trying to establish a link between Mr Taylor and a number of uncut diamonds that Miss Campbell said she had been given in South Africa in 1997.
The Special Court for Sierra Leone in the Hague has heard from more than 100 witnesses in what is the first international trial of an African former head of state.
Prosecutors are giving their closing arguments on Tuesday, and defence lawyers will give their statement on Wednesday, with rebuttals scheduled for Friday.
The judges will then retire to consider their judgement, expected by mid-2011.
If convicted, Mr Taylor would serve a prison sentence in the UK.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the scene
Peter Biles
BBC News, The Hague
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles Taylor failed to appear in court after the first break of the morning. It was said he was feeling unwell and in need of some rest, although he had shown no sign of discomfort during the first two hours this morning.
However, he had been forced to listen to prosecutor Brenda Hollis accuse him of having been the central figure in waging the campaign of terror in Sierra Leone in the 1990s.
At times, Mr Taylor sat with his eyes closed, but then turned to polish his tinted spectacles and lightly tapped his fingers on the desk. In the media room outside, his defence counsel, Courtenay Griffiths, was doing the rounds briefing reporters
Everyone is a genius
Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – A Einstein
Drawing the line in Liberia
Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be blamed upon an entire nationality. In this case, Liberians! The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia. Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results. - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Men with unhealthy characters should not champion any noble cause
They pretend to advocate the cause of the people when their deeds in the dark mirror nothing else but EVIL!!
When evil and corrupt men try to champion a cause that is so noble … such cause, how noble it may be, becomes meaningless in the eyes of the people - Bernard Gbayee Goah.
If Liberia must move forward ...
If Liberia must move forward in order to claim its place as a civilized nation amongst world community of nations, come 2017 elections, Liberians must critically review the events of the past with honesty and objectivity. They must make a new commitment to seek lasting solutions. The track records of those who are presenting themselves as candidates for the position of "President of the Republic of Liberia" must be well examined. Liberians must be fair to themselves because results from the 2011 elections will determine the future of Liberia’s unborn generations to come - Bernard Gbayee Goah
What do I think should be done?
The situation in Liberia is Compound Complex and cannot be fixed unless the entire system of government is reinvented.
Liberia needs a workable but uncompromising system that will make the country an asylum free from abuse, and other forms of corruption.
Any attempt to institute the system mentioned above in the absence of rule of law is meaningless, and more detrimental to Liberia as a whole - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Liberia's Natural Resources
Besides land water and few other resources, most of Liberia’s dependable natural resources are not infinite, they are finite and therefore can be depleted.
Liberia’s gold, diamond, and other natural resources will not always be an available source of revenue generation for its people and its government. The need to invent a system in government that focuses on an alternative income generation method cannot be over emphasized at this point - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Liberia needs a proper system
If Liberians refuse to erect a proper system in place that promotes the minimization of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by government institutions, and individuals, there will come a time when the value of the entire country will be seen as a large valueless land suited on the west coast of Africa with some polluted bodies of waters and nothing else. To have no system in place in any country is to have no respect for rule of law. To have no respect for rule of law is to believe in lawlessness. And where there is lawlessness, there is always corruption - Bernard Gbayee Goah
Solving problems in the absence of war talks
As political instability continues to increase in Africa, it has become abundantly clear that military intervention as a primary remedy to peace is not a durable solution. Such intervention only increases insecurity and massive economic hardship. An existing example which could be a valuable lesson for Liberia is Great Britain, and the US war on terror for the purpose of global security. The use of arms whether in peace keeping, occupation, or invasion as a primary means of solving problem has yield only little results. Military intervention by any country as the only solution to problem solving will result into massive military spending, economic hardship, more fear, and animosity as well as increase insecurity. The alternative is learning how to solve problems in the absence of war talks. The objective of such alternative must be to provide real sustainable human security which cannot be achieved through military arm intervention, or aggression. In order to achieve results that will make the peaceful coexistence of all mankind possible, there must be a common ground for the stories of all sides to be heard. I believe there are always three sides to every story: Their side of the story, Our side of the story, and The truth – Bernard Gbayee Goah
DISCLAIMER
Statements and opinions expressed in articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of information on this website/blog, and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, I cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. Inside Liberia with Bernard Gbayee Goah will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this website/blog. The content of any organizations websites which you link to from this website/blog are entirely out of the control of Inside Liberia With Bernard Gbayee Goah, and you proceed at your own risk. These links are provided purely for your convenience. They do not imply Inside Liberia With Bernard Gbayee Goah's endorsement of or association with any products, services, content, information or materials offered by or accessible to you at said organizations site.
