Liberia's Charles Taylor Aided And Abetted War Crimes, Court Finds 26APR12

THERE is justice in the world! charles taylor will pay for his crimes, let's hope that joseph kony will be brought to stand trial at the ICC soon! From NPR.....

by Mark Memmott

Jerry Lampen /AFP/Getty Images Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, in court on Feb. 8, 2011.

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is guilty of "aiding and abetting" forces in Sierra Leone that committed war crimes and other atrocities during a war that lasted more than a decade and left more than 50,000 people dead, the International Criminal Court ruled today.
Taylor, the first head of state since just after World War II to be judged by an international tribunal, "knew that his support" would assist and encourage fighters who were committing war crimes, the tribunal ruled. In return, he received so-called blood diamonds from Sierra Leone.
The court proceeding in The Hague began at 5 a.m. ET, and it wasn't until after 7 a.m. ET that the judge finished reading through the judge's findings and their verdicts.
Update at 7:15 a.m. ET. Guilty Of Aiding And Abetting On All 11 Counts.
After asking Taylor to stand, Judge Richard Lussick said the court "finds you guilty of aiding and abetting the following crimes ... and planning the commission of the following crimes":
— Acts of terrorism.
— Murder.
— Violence to life, health and physical well-being.
— Rape.
— Sexual slavery.
— Outrages upon personal dignity.
— Violence to life.
— Inhuman acts.
— Conscripting children under the age of 15.
— Enslavement.
— Pillage.
Taylor's sentencing hearing is set for May 16. He's to be sentenced on May 30.
On Morning Edition, NPR's Eric Westervelt spoke with Steve Inskeep about the case against Taylor.

NPR's Eric Westervelt reporting from The Hague

Here's our original post and earlier updates:
  Verdicts are being handed down this hour against former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who stands accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly arming fighters in neighboring Sierra Leone in exchange for "blood diamonds."
During a brutal war that ended 10 years ago, about 50,000 people died in Sierra Leone.
Taylor, who faces 11 charges, has been on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. "The historic verdicts at the Special Court for Sierra Leone," says The Associated Press, "will mark the first time an international tribunal has reached judgment in the trial of a former head of state since judges in Nuremberg convicted Karl Doenitz, a naval officer who briefly led Germany after Adolf Hitler's suicide."
As the AP adds:

"Prosecutors cast Taylor, 64, as a ruthless leader who as president of neighboring Liberia funneled weapons, ammunition and other equipment to Sierra Leone rebels in return for diamonds mined by slave laborers in Sierra Leone.
"The rebels from the Revolutionary United Front and Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, groups notorious for hacking off limbs, noses and lips of their enemies. Most of their surviving leaders already have been convicted and imprisoned by the court.
"In seven months on the witness stand testifying in his own defense, Taylor portrayed himself as a statesman and regional peacemaker."

We will update this post with the news as soon as it comes in. Also:
— NPR's Eric Westervelt is due to discuss the case on Morning Edition.
— The BBC is live blogging and streaming video from the court here.
Update at 6:45 a.m. ET. "Aiding And Abetting" Proved, Court Finds:
The court finds the prosecution has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor aided and abetted some of the crimes he's accused of, the judge says, by providing, arms, ammunition and guidance to forces in Sierra Leone.
The court has also concluded, however, that the prosecution did not prove that Taylor is individually criminally responsible for some of the crimes.

"My Verbal Sparring With Charles Taylor": The BBC's Robin White reflects on his 1989 interview of Taylor that brought the Liberian to the world's attention.

Judge Richard Lussick continues to read through the findings.
Update at 6:15 a.m. ET. Judge Continues:
Judge Richard Lussick is still reading through the court's findings — but hasn't yet gotten to its judgments. As the BBC notes, he's starting "to get a croaky throat after reading aloud for more than an hour."
Update at 5:45 a.m. ET. Reading Of Findings Continues:
The lead judge continues to read from the court's findings — but has not yet gotten to its judgments against Taylor. Note: The trial has stretched over more than three years and there have been 420 "trial days."
Update at 5:15 a.m. ET. Reading Out The Charges:
The court session is starting with a reading of the charges against Taylor and the court's conclusion that atrocities — murder, rape, sexual enslavement, the conscription of child soldiers and other crimes — did occur in Sierra Leone. It could be an hour or more, though, before the judgments against Taylor are announced and we learn whether he has been judged to be accountable.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/04/26/151418626/liberias-charles-taylor-facing-judgment-in-war-crimes-case?sc=nl&cc=brk-20120426-0708

Russia outraged over Thai decision to extradite accused arms dealer to U.S. 16NOV10

FINALLY, the "merchant of death" is being brought to justice, and will have to answer to for the carnage, death and destruction he brought to so many areas of the world for profit, all in the name if increasing his personal wealth. He deserves to be held in prison for the rest of his life, and to have his wealth, all his assets distributed to legitimate NGOs working to repair the damage he caused. 
By Tim Johnston and Catherine Belton
Tuesday, November 16, 2010; 3:13 PM


BANGKOK - Thailand extradited an alleged arms dealer to the United States on Tuesday, drawing anger from Russia, which claimed the action was illegal.
Viktor Bout was arrested in a Bangkok hotel in March 2008 after allegedly offering to sell weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to U.S. agents posing as members of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the Colombian guerrilla group.
The former Soviet air force officer was escorted aboard a U.S. aircraft at Bangkok's Don Muang airport by armed police and U.S. agents. On arrival in the United States, he will face charges of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to acquire an anti-aircraft missile and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist group.
Bout, 43, has maintained his innocence, claiming he was framed by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"This is an unequivocally political decision, lobbied for by the U.S. government," Alla Bout, his wife, told Russia's NTV network Tuesday. "It has no legal basis whatsoever."
Bout has been accused of providing arms to several governments, including the administration of Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president who is on trial in the Hague for crimes against humanity, and Afghanistan's Taliban.
He is said to have inspired the Hollywood film "Lord of War," and a British politician once dubbed him the "merchant of death."
Bout never denied that he ran a cargo airline, using underutilized Soviet-era aircraft, that flew to the scenes of some of Africa's most bitter conflicts, but he has described it as a legitimate operation that carried valid end-user certificates when it did transport arms. The case became a diplomatic tug of war between the United States, which wanted to try him for aiding terrorists, and Russia, which said that Bout was a legitimate businessman.
Bout operated freely out of Russia for years and is thought to have cultivated ties with the top ranks of Russia's military intelligence. Moscow lobbied hard against his extradition, and intelligence analysts say they think Russia might fear what Bout could reveal under questioning by U.S. authorities.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said the extradition was illegal. "We have no doubt that the illegal extradition of Viktor Bout is a result of the unprecedented pressure the U.S. brought on the Thai government and legal system," the ministry said.
The Russian Embassy in Bangkok complained that Thai authorities had not told them the extradition was proceeding.
Bout won the first round of his battle to avoid extradition in August 2009 when a Thai court ruled that the case was politically motivated and that he had committed no crime on Thai soil. However, prosecutors won an appeal in August.
Belton reported from Moscow.

HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST RIGHTS WIRE E MAIL NEWSLETTER 13AUG10

ARTICLES on Blood Diamonds & Sierra Leone and charles taylor, Gitmo, Egypt, elections, the Omar Khadr trial, human rights, labor......

HRF'S E-NEWSLETTER August 13, 2010 EMAIL TO A FRIEND» DONATE» From the President and CEO» Naomi Campbell and Blood Diamonds» Egyptian Activist Promoting Election Transparency through New Media» HRF Founding Executive Director Mike Posner on Colbert Report» Prop 8 Victory Reminds of Need for Progress Abroad» HRF in the News» From the President and CEO Hitting the Campaign Trail to Close Guantánamo This week marks a new low at Guantánamo, as the United States begins the trial of Omar Khadr, who was picked up in Afghanistan at age 15 and has spent more than a quarter of his life at Guantánamo. International law prohibits the use of children under 18 in armed conflict and requires states to rehabilitate child soldiers by assisting with their physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration. The United States has failed to abide by these obligations; instead it began jury selection in Khadr's trial, undermining a fundamental norm and setting a dangerous precedent for children forced into armed conflict around the world. This development underscores what we know from our years of observing military commissions at Guantánamo: setting up a trial system that depends on coerced confessions, redefining the laws of war, and violating fundamental human rights standards is not only wrong, it's counter-productive. And in terms of convicting those who have committed terrorist acts, military commissions are a poor substitute for our federal courts. Not only have they failed to guarantee due process, they have only managed to convict four people, while the federal courts have convicted more than 400 terrorism suspects since 9/11. As the election season gets underway, we're sharing the facts about military commissions with congressional candidates. Next week we will be in Illinois with retired military leaders who continue to speak out against torture and Guantánamo. They will make the case to candidates from both parties that closing Guantánamo and relying on our time-tested federal courts for terrorism trials will make our nation stronger and more secure. You can join us in Illinois next week by signing our petition which we'll deliver personally to the candidates. Watch the retired military leaders making the case for federal courts in our video-and join them in Illinois by signing the petition! Sincerely, Elisa Massimino President and CEO Human Rights First Naomi Campbell and Blood Diamonds Last week Naomi Campbell appeared as a witness in the war crimes trial of Charles Taylor. How does a supermodel end up in an international tribunal? In 1997, Taylor allegedly gave Campbell the gift of a blood diamond.  Prosecutors sought Campbell's testimony to help establish the timing of Taylor's possession of diamonds from Sierra Leone, which he allegedly exchanged for weapons that armed Sierra Leonean rebels who used them in brutal attacks against civilians. HRF's President and CEO Elisa Massimino explains in the Los Angeles Times why we need to pay attention to the supply chain for mass atrocities and how focusing on the enablers of these crimes can help prevent them in the future. Read the op-ed and listen to our podcast» Egyptian Activist Promoting Election Transparency through New Media 500 million. That's how many people are now on Facebook.  So it's no surprise that activists from around the world are adapting their strategies to the networked world. During a recent trip to Cairo, HRF's Neil Hicks interviewed Egyptian activist Esraa Abdel Fattah on how she is using social media and other online tools in support of democracy and government transparency in the lead-up to elections in Egypt. Like many netizens we work with, Esraa is enlisting new media technologies to organize a movement, risking retaliation by an often repressive Egyptian government. Listen to her describe how, and watch other video testimonials from netizens around the world» HRF Founding Executive Director Mike Posner on Colbert Report Mike Posner talked about democracy, human rights and labor (and which one is his favorite!) on the Colbert Report this month. Check it out!» Prop 8 Victory Reminds of Need for Progress Abroad In a victory for equal rights, California’s Proposition 8 was overturned last week, ending the ban on gay marriage in the Golden State. Ruling the proposition unconstitutional, Judge Vaughn Walker explained that the measure “enacts, without reason, a private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples.” But around the world, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people face legalized discrimination and threats far more severe than restrictions on marriage. Being gay is a crime in more than eighty countries. In Uganda, for example, existing law already criminalizes homosexuality, and a new bill would make “aggravated homosexuality” punishable by death. Human Rights First has been working with a broad coalition of partners to oppose this draconian legislation. In February, we invited the prominent Ugandan rights activist Julius Kaggwa to participate in our Human Rights Summit in Washington, DC. Julius explains what the proposed bill would mean for Ugandans in an exclusive interview to HRF»  HRF in the News Human Rights First is giving real-time updates from the Khadr trial on our blog, and we've been picked up by numerous media outlets including CNN, CBC News, and others. Check out our commentary in this round-up» Article of interest: Two prominent former judges, Eugene Sullivan and former FBI Director Louis Freeh, published an op-ed in the Washington Post supporting federal court trials for Guantánamo detainees... at Guantánamo. Read their argument»