14 Days To Judgment Day

It may have seemed endless, but the hour of justice is now barely 2 weeks away.

Judges of the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone will decide whether Mr. Charles Taylor bears the greatest responsibility for the war crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone, or whether he is the subject of lies for political reasons as he and his lawyers have argued.

Mr. Taylor, from the onset, insisted that the case against him is ‘politically motivated’, and that he is a victim of western power play.

After the end of the trial, several prosecution witnesses were sought after to change their testimonies against the erstwhile leader of the rebel National Patriotic Front of Liberia and for guilty of perjury.

Mr. Taylor’s lawyers then entered a plea for a new trial, contending that the war in Cote d’Ivoire offered new evidence and circumstances in favour of their client. Their request was rejected.

As the verdict’s date, 26 April 2012 was set, the defense lawyers again pleaded for the date to be extended. Again, the court rejected their request, and the verdict will be handed down in 2 weeks.

It is difficult to predict the outcome of a guilty or not guilty verdict. Mr. Taylor still enjoys admiration amongst his loyalists here, and they are said to be praying for acquittal.

If he is acquitted, there are fears that a new and fluid political security environment will rock the country and region. Declassified US embassy cables note that rebel command and control structures remain in tact.

On the other hand, if he is found guilty on any of the 11 counts and sent to Britain to serve whatever sentence the court hands down, reactions here are unpredictable.

In Sierra Leone itself, with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), described as Mr. Taylor’s proxy army, a spent force many of whose leaders are still in prison, jubilation is expected if it is a guilty verdict. All this will be known in 14 days beginning today.