UN-backed court in Sierra Leone requests Charles Taylor be tried in The Hague

A United Nations-backed court in Sierra Leone, which is currently detaining former Liberian President Charles Taylor on multiple charges of war crimes, has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow him to be tried in The Hague because of safety concerns should he appear in court in Freetown.

The President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Justice A. Raja N. Fernando, “yesterday made a request to the Government of The Netherlands and the President of the ICC to facilitate the conduct of the trial” of Mr. Taylor by the Special Court in The Hague, the Special Court said in a news release today.

“The trial would thus be held by a Trial Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, sitting in The Hague,” it stated, adding that “Justice Fernando’s letter referred to “concerns about the stability in the region should Taylor be tried in Freetown.”

The Court noted the need for a Headquarters Agreement to facilitate its proposal, and pointed out that a UN Security Council Resolution would also be required by the Government of the Netherlands to provide the legal basis for the Court to sit within its national jurisdiction.

Mr. Taylor arrived in Sierra Leone by United Nations helicopter on Wednesday, after being recaptured in Nigeria, where he had been exiled three years ago as part of a peace deal that helped bring an end to Liberia’s decade of civil war.

The former President has been indicted on 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual slavery and mutilations allegedly committed during Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war.

In a statement on Wednesday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he “strongly believes the capture and trial of Taylor will send a powerful message to the region and beyond that impunity will not be allowed to stand and that the rule of law must prevail.”