War Crimes Court to Rule on Liberia’s Ex-President

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

MONROVIA, Liberia – Liberia’s ex-president, Charles Taylor, faces the international court handling his appeal against his conviction for war crimes, such as aiding and abetting atrocities by rebels, in Sierra Leone.  The court will deliver its decision next month.  Taylor seeks to overturn his conviction and 50-year prison sentence.

Liberian ex-president, Charles Taylor, at hearing in May 2012 (photo courtesy of Africa Review)

Last year Taylor was found guilty of lending support to Sierra Leone rebels who raged a terror campaign during a civil war that claimed 120,000 lives between 1991 and 2001, in exchange for “blood diamonds” mined by slave labor.

The Liberian war officially ended in 2002.

The court found him guilty on 11 charges, including acts of terrorism, murder, rape, sexual slavery, and the use of child soldiers.

Taylor’s defense attorneys appealed, arguing that the judges made systematic errors during Taylor’s trial and that the sentence was too severe.  They further argued that there is no evidence linking Taylor to the crimes the rebels committed.

Prosecutor’s also appealed, arguing that Taylor personally ordered rebels to commit crimes and that his sentence was too light.  Prosecutors seek Taylor’s prison time to be increased to 80 years.

Taylor’s sentence in May 2012 was the first handed down by an international court against a former head of state since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg in 1946.

Taylor was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, until he was forced to resign under international pressure.  Taylor was accused of giving rebels guns and ammunition during the conflict, which judges found were known for its mutilations, drugged child soldiers, and sex slaves.

After a 3 year exile in Nigeria, Taylor was returned to Liberia in 2006 and transferred to a Special Court.

Taylor’s trial, which ended in 2011, saw a number of high-profile witnesses testifying.  These witnesses included British supermodel Naomi Campbell, who told the court she received a gift of “dirty diamonds” from Taylor.

If Taylor, who is 65, loses the appeal, he is expected to be transferred to a UK prison to serve his sentence.

For further information, please visit:

Yahoo! News – Liberia’s Taylor to hear appeal ruling on September 26 – 27 August 2013
AllAfrica – Liberia: War Crimes Court to Rule On Charles Taylor Appeal – 27 August 2013
The New Zealand Herald – Court sets date for Charles Taylor appeal judgment – 28 August 2013
Voice of America – War Crimes Court to Rule on Charles Taylor Appeal – 27 August 2013
DailyMe – War Crimes Court to Rule on Charles Taylor Appeal Sept. 26 – 27 August 2013
Africa Review – Court to rule on Charles Taylor’s appeal case next month – 28 August 2013

 

Amidst Death of Self-Proclaimed Roma King, Roma People Remain Repressed

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, European Union – Self-appointed Roma king Florin Cioaba’s funeral held thousands of people in the Romanian city of Sibiu less than a week after his death by heart attack on 18 August 2013. Throughout Europe, the Roma people continued to seek basic human rights, including shelter and safety.

Murders of Roma people to receive new investigations in Hungary. (Photo courtesy of Deutsche Welle)

In 1997, Cioaba became the self-proclaimed Roma king following the death of his father, who previously held the title. Popular among the Roma community, Cioaba supported modernization and education.

At Cioaba’s death, an estimated 10 million Roma people lived across Europe, with about two million struggling with prejudice, poverty, and illiteracy in Romania. In addition to being one of Europe’s oldest minorities, the Council of Europe has declared that the Roma are also Europe’s most discriminated against minority.

“We have seen a deeply worrying trend over the past year with entrenched discrimination against Roma reaching new heights. This is a fundamental issue that the Czech authorities can’t ignore,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Program Director for Amnesty International.

On 27 August 2013, French authorities forced the eviction of 150 Roma people in a manner that Amnesty International claims is against international laws requiring “appropriate procedural protections”, “adequate alternative accommodation”, and compensation for relocated residents.

Since the open of 2013, the Czech Republic has experienced a surge of neo-Nazi activity, including anti-Roma marches and demonstrations. “The marches [are] on the increase, and people are afraid,” said David Tiser, the director of a Prague NGO. “These are not just marches by extremists. Regular citizens are joining in as well. And this is what is dangerous. This is why the foreign media are interested.”

On 24 August 2013, at least 1500 people marched through several Czech communities. In some locations, police arrested demonstrators and confiscated wooden stakes, baseball bats, and machetes. To instill fear in the Roma community, many marchers shouted, “Gypsies to the gas chambers.”

In Hungary, human rights activists and lawyers convinced officials recently to re-open a 2008-2009 series of murders against the Roma community. Throughout both years, right-wing extremists carried out nine arson attacks that resulted in six deaths and fifty-five injuries. At least one suspect remains free. Particularly, authorities will place focus on initial “failures and potential wrongdoing” by investigators. While police investigators overlooked serious suspect possibilities and may have been involved in evidence destruction, Hungarian prosecutors are also looking to military personnel who may have helped facilitate the attacks.

Every ethnicity deserves the dignity and respect granted under international human rights law, and once provided to the Roma, Cioaba’s hopes for greater modernization and education will become reality.

For further information, please see:

Deutsche Welle – Czech Neo-Nazi Marches Target Roma – August 30, 2013

Amnesty International – French Authorities Forcibly Evict 150 People, Including 60 Children – August 27, 2013

Deutsche Welle – New Investigations, Compensation for Roma Murders in Hungary – August 27, 2013

BBC News – Czech Anti-Roma Protests End in Arrests – August 24, 2013

AFP – Romania’s ‘King of Gypsies’ Buried – August 23, 2013

Reuters – Thousands Gather in Romania for Roma King’s Funeral– August 23, 2013