Taylor Expected in Nigerian Court Tomorrow

The NEWS (Monrovia)
NEWS
June 30, 2004
Posted to the web June 30, 2004

By George Bardue
Monrovia

Exiled former President Charles Taylor is expected to face summons proceedings at a Nigerian High Court in Abuja tomorrow.

The presiding Judge of the Federal Court, Justice Stephen Adah had issued a Writ of Summons against the former Liberian leader through the Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke to deliver the Writ to Taylor in a case filed by two Nigerian Businessmen, Emmanuel Egbuna and David Anyaele.

The two businessmen petitioned the court, challenging the refugee status granted Taylor in August 2003.

They petitioners said Taylor is indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as violation of international humanitarian laws.

The petitioners, who claimed that they were amputated during the Sierra Leonean war, prayed the court to quash the refugee status granted to Taylor, contending that the asylum had precluded his trial before the special court.

The petitioners recounted the brutal treatment against them and other Nigerians, which they claimed was largely engineered and financed by defendant Taylor.

According to the Nigerian Amputees, the rebels in Sierra Leone's war isolated Nigerians from other captives and began amputating their limbs.

The men contended in their petition that granting Taylor asylum in Nigeria was a violation of international treaties on war crimes.

Charles Taylor stands accused of 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The United Nation-backed court for Sierra Leone has indicted him for allegedly fueling the war in that country for illicit diamonds. Charges Taylor has since denied the charges, but has refused to be tried by the court.


---------------------------------
Copyright © 2004 The NEWS. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com


---------------------------------
 ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - sooooo many all-new ways to express yourself

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~