Liberia's Charles Taylor in this August 11, 2003 photo. - REUTERS
FREETOWN (Reuters):
A UNITED Nations-backed war crimes court wants to shift the trial of ex-Liberian President and feared warlord Charles Taylor to the Netherlands because of security concerns, it said yesterday.
Taylor, 58, was flown in handcuffs to Sierra Leone on Wednesday to face 11 counts of war crimes at the U.N.-backed court, stemming from Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war.
Charges against him include mutilations and sexual slavery. He is also accused of receiving diamonds to support Sierra Leone rebels who often hacked off limbs or raped their victims.
Taylor will be the first former African president to appear before an international court when his initial hearing is held in Freetown next Monday or Tuesday, a court official said. It was earlier announced for today but was later put back.
