By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor finished its third week with continued testimony from Father Chema, a Senior Researcher for Human Rights Watch, and a linkage witness.
Father Chema continued his testimony regarding his work with child soldiers in Sierra Leone. He detailed the rehabilitation programs and the progress the social workers have been able to make with the children. While approximately 95 percent of the children have been rehabilitated, some were unable to overcome their addiction to drugs or would run away to rejoin their commanders. Many of the girls had problems as well and would turn to prostitution.
On a brief cross-examination, Defense Counsel Andrew Cayley worked to establish that child soldiers are used throughout many countries and that it is not a strictly African or Sierra Leonean or RUF practice.
The next witness for the prosecution was Corrine Dufka, a Senior Researcher for the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch specializing in West Africa. After the defense counsel strongly objected to the qualification of Ms. Dufka as an expert witness, and the Court ruled that any decision regarding her qualifications were premature, the prosecution began their examination.
Ms. Dufka presented a report she prepared for the trial, which covers the period of 1998 to 2003/2004 and consists of first-hand victim and witness accounts. The various documents and studies cited in her report cover the history of the conflict, abuses during armed conflict, war crimes by the Liberian government, and evidence of atrocities in Sierra Leone. The Prosecution continued the direct examination with questions regarding sexual violence in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
On cross-examination, Defense Counsel attempted to discredit Ms. Dufka as an expert witness and vigorously questioned her impartiality. Following her testimony, the Prosecution asked the court to introduce her report into evidence, to which the Defense again objected. The Court granted the Defense’s request for written submissions regarding her expert status, and the issue will be decided next week.
The Prosecution next called linkage witness Abu Keita. Keita joined the AFL (Armed Forces of Liberia) in 1990. When the Sierra Leonean army disarmed the AFL, Keita joined the LUDF (Liberia United Defense Force) in Sierra Leone. The LUDF was founded to fight the RUF and received weapons from the Sierra Leonean government. When the LUDF split Keita was a General with one of the branches until it was disarmed in 1996. Keita testified as to Taylor’s involvement in RUF abuses. He detailed the RUF activities outside of Sierra Leone, abuses against the peacekeeping forces, the use of diamond mines and child soldiers, the practice of performing amputations, and combatant deaths.
The defense counsel cross-examined Keita, attacking inconsistencies in his statements and his credibility.
The Prosecution then called witness TF1-371, a protected witness who will give testimony in a closed session.
Yesterday Vamba Sherif, whose brother testified last week, told BBC that his family had received repeated death threats.
For more information, please see:
BBC – ‘Death threats’ over Taylor trial – 25 January 2008
