By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

On Monday, the Special Court for Sierra Leone judges created a schedule for the closure of the defense case in the trial of Charles Taylor, who has been charged with eleven counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law.

At the conference, Taylor’s defense attorney, Terry Munyard, indicated that the defense was still working on several motions and proposed to the judges that the court take a two-week recess to decide the defense motions. The defense also said that they had likely called their last witness, DCT-008, who concluded his testimony at the end of last week.

Defense witness DCT-008 was the twentieth defense witness, a Liberian national who served as a radio operator in the Special Security Services (SSS) unit of Taylor’s government in Liberia. His testimony focused primarily on radio communications that occurred between Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in Sierra Leone and members of Taylor’s security apparatus in Liberia. Prosecutors contended that the radio communications that took place facilitated arms transfers for use in Sierra Leone’s bloody conflict. Prosecutors also alleged that the radio communications occurred with Taylor’s approval, allegations that Taylor denied, positing that his security forces could have had independent relationships with Sierra Leonean rebels. DCT-008 said that the communications and the diamond and arms trades that took place between Liberia and Sierra Leone were based solely on the friendship between RUF commander Sam Bockarie and SSS Director Benjamin Yeaten.

The court made the following rulings after defense counsel’s request. First, it gave the defense until September 24, 2010 to file any submissions. Second, it said it would hold a status conference on September 27, 2010 to look at the volume of the pending motions and determine a date for another status conference. Third, it set a two-week recess to commence on September 28. Finally, it stated that court would resume on October 12, 2010.

For more information, please see:

Charles Taylor Trial – At Status Conference, Judges Draw Up Schedule For The Conclusion Of Defense Case – 13 September 2010

Charles Taylor Trial – DCT-008 Concludes His Testimony And Could Be The Final Witness In the Charles Taylor Trial – 11 September 2010