The trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor was faced with two seperate hitches today as first, there was a 45 minutes delay in bringing the accused former president to court, and second, proceedings were adjourned for the day due to technical failures in producing live notes on the computers in the court room.
When court resumed this morning, defense counsel for Mr. Taylor, Morris Anyah, informed the judges that Mr. Taylor was not present in court and there was no information on his whereabouts. After some 45 minutes adjournment, Mr. Taylor eventually appeared in court. Mr. Anyah informed the judges that the delay in bringing Mr. Taylor to court had been caused by an attempt to bring Mr. Taylor to court together with other International Criminal Court (ICC) detainees in a manner which Mr. Taylor had refused in the past and which had previously caused a delay in proceedings.
Presiding judge Richard Lussick directed the Acting Registrar to provide a report on what happened this morning and to ensure that it does not repeat itself.
When the judges eventually ordered that lead prosecution counsel, Brenda Hollis, continue with the cross-examination of Mr. Taylor, the court encountered technical problems with the live notes of the proceedings that are normally produced to lawyers and judges in court. Justice Lussick ordered that the matter be looked into with the “utmost urgency” so that proceedings will continue. When it became apparent that the problem could not be resolved today, the court adjourned for the day.
Yesterday, the Special Court also experienced techincal problems with the live feed allowing for live broadcast of the proceedings, cutting out for much of the day.
Mr. Taylor’s cross-examination continues tomorrow.
Goo job Papay,
Stand, speak and sure them who you are , what you are and where you are coming from. Let them know you from a man stand point . You are allready in jail. There is nowhere else to carry you. Take nonesence from no one…. It is upon every man to die once……. I enjoy your move today… BRAVO!! BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!!!! Powerful Ghankay all the WAYYYYYYY…….
Folks,
Again, another attempt to horribly humiliate this innocent man. Bringing the fromer president of the Republic of Liberia with other preposterously accused criminals to court at the same time. I mean, these people are so arrogant to an extent that they continue to believe that they are the most dominant species. Therefore, they can do whatever they want. Eventhough, President Taylor had expressed his objection over this same unrelenting tactic. These people are repeaters. These people are propagandists. Literally, these people are not even bothering to put on the mask any more. What a couple of fraud. They are doing it in open “day light”.
Folks, before this is all over, almost the entire world will be convinced, that Taylor is a real peacemaker: that was picked to make an example of. However, Taylor had nothing to do with Sierra Leone as evidence of the lack of proof from the prosecutors. Notwithstanding, President Taylor being Taylor, proves that he is not the “weakest link. ” He stood his grounds. He objected. You can say all you want about being late. But, he is not marching with other people. He will not single file like a military personnel, because he is not.
OUTSTANDING JOB, PRESIDENT TAYLOR.
Tracey,
Is the Special Court’s website down? Since yesterday I have not been able to access it.
Hello Aki! Yes, the site adjourned today and yesterday due to technical problems with the court’s own reporting system that helps produce the transcripts. Hopefully it will resume tomorrow — in fact, Judge Lussick said today that even if the techincal problems weren’t fully fixed by tomorrow, the court would see if they could continue with limited technology. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that everything is fixed today by the technicians coming in.
Best,
Tracey
Tracey Gurd,
I don’t know what time it is where you are right now. But for where I am, it is about 1955 Wednesday night. For others in the US, eastern and central time , this time is about 05:55 /04:55 (eastern and central time) Wednesday morning in the US. And I am currently reading the interview of our dynamic moderator for now, Tracey Gurd.
Tracey, I just read the article about your interview with the VOA, that Aki talked about. Tracey, your take on that interview and your response was not surprising, but familiar. You hit the ball off the park. You were as accurate as the ‘sun”. You did extreme well in that interview. You were never biased. You stated the facts. You even went to the extent of promoting this fake case original prosecutor, Mr. David Crane’s website site: where I think you should not have done. However, I hope, others internationally acclaimed people, will follow your lead on this case.
Tracey Gurd,
I don’t know what time it is where you are right now. But for where I am, it is about 1955 Wednesday night. For others in the US, eastern and central time , this time is about 05:55 /04:55 (eastern and central time) Wednesday morning in the US. And I am currently reading the interview of our dynamic moderator for now, Tracey Gurd.
Tracey, I just read the article about your interview with the VOA, that Aki talked about. Tracey, your take on that interview and your response was not surprising, but familiar. You hit the ball off the park. You were as accurate as the ’sun”. You did extremely well in that interview. You were never biased. You stated the facts. You even went to the extent of promoting this fake case original prosecutor, Mr. David Crane’s website: where I think you should not have done. However, I hope, others internationally acclaimed people, will follow your lead on this case by reporting the facts.
Hey,
where can we find Tracey’s interview on the web. could some one paste a link?
Hi Andrew — here is the link to the article: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Independent-Monitors-Keep-Eyes-on-Charles-Taylor-Trial-81173272.html
Best,
Tracey
hey brother Andrew,
Welcome back;Lets start slaming them again. Their new evidences is paraded with new regements of hear say, they say again…uh, my head hurts. This whole case is a disgrace to mankind..Why are the judges taking so long to throw this thing out the windows…
Andrew,
Hope you are well and Happy New Year to you and yours…..
For whatever reasons, the heading of this post is misleading and misinforms the public. The heading creates two impressions: 1. That Taylor was responsible for arriving late in court, and 2. It attempts to link Taylor’s late arrivial to the technical problem that cause the court to adjourned.
Maybe, these little details are not relevant to the author of the post, but when one considers the gravity of this trial and the emotions that it evokes, one will seriously consider the pyscho-social effects that reporting on this trial causes on ordinary, especially in Liberia and SL. There is a healing process , for both proponents and opponents, that evolve as this trial proceeds. So it is equally important for the reporting to be holisitic instead of sensationalism. Such sensationalism displaces the facts and tend to create confusion and pump up emotions of victims, especially those of us who were actually victims of both Liberia and SL wars. As indicated in the actual report, it was the court process that cause Mr. Taylor to arrived late in court because they wanted to implement a proceeding that had previously been rebuke by the court.
The revictimization pf victims occurs when opponents of Charles Taylor sees a headline that reads, “As Charles Taylor Arrives Late In Court, Technical Problems Cause An Adjournment Of Today’s Proceedings.” The “as Charles Taylor arrives late in court” says to opponents that Mr. Taylor do not care about respecting the court, and by directing indicating “technical problems cause an adjournment” tend to jutaxpose a proximate cause of Taylor’s lateness to the adjournment. Thus, opponents are revictimize by perceptions that Mr. Taylor is once more playing “a con man feat” on the court. This increases negative emotions against Mr. Taylor and the court system, that both Taylor and the court are playing games with victims. On the other hand, proponents also view the headline as another attempt to cast Mr. Taylor in a negative manner, and are also revictimize because they sense a foul play in the justice system to “politically prosecute” Mr. Taylor. Thus, the court loses its sense of legitimacy in the eyes of both proponents and opponents.
Secondly, the issue of technical problem raises a serious alarm for some of us, it says that political profiteers are attempting to undermine public access to this trial so that we can rely on the propoganda reports of news media like the NYT and other western media. It does not make sense that the technical people, of the court, would not have pretested and post-tested the operating system of the court, knowing fully well the international gravity of this trial and the date that the court will resume. The public was constantly reminded in advance by the PR people that the court would resume. So why the techincal people failed to do their part.
Yesterday, the court’s IT person stated in open court that they had subcontracted services for public access and technical work to a third private party. Why at this stage of the court proceeding would such a thing occured? Is this another attempt by those multinational explioters and profiteers to deny , we the victims, public access to this case? This is a serious matter, and we need honest answers. Some of us are deeply bruised emotionally and physically wounded as a result of wars that was sponsored by western profiteers and exploiters. We need answers? The good people of the West need to stand against this ugly behavior by some of their fellow citizens which continues to erode the great good deeds of westerners toward poor people accross the world. Please good people, do not allow the bad apples in your midst to keep destroying your good works.
Hi King Gray,
I am sorry to hear you were disappointed with the headline for the story — certainly the intention from our part was just to hight the two things that did happen yesterday in court, amid a day where not much occured in the courtroom. There was no intention to blame Mr. Taylor for turning up late, as we understand there were problems with the mode of transport; and it was certainly no fault of his that there were technical problems in the courtroom which caused the day’s adjournment – it just so happened that his arrival coincided with the discovery that the techincal system was not working well in the courtroom.
I do take your concerns and feedback to heart, and we will certainly keep them in mind as we post our headlines each day. I understand that we may intend them differently to the way people may read them, and it is an issue of which we, like others who report on the trial, must remain aware.
Thanks for raising this with us.
Best,
Tracey
Thanks Tracey, your explanation is well.
Charles Taylor is the former President of Liberia and should be treated as such. Africans like me will not allow him to be tread any how.
This issues should be the last to happen.
God Bless Charles Taylor!
God Bless Liberia!
God Bless Africa!
We will overcome
ALL I CAN SAY FOR NOW IS SO SIMPLE AND SHORT.LONG LIVE GHANKAY
It’s funny to some of us who half of our lives were set back only by greedy politicians like Taylor when people wish their Pres.Charles Taylor all the best because I don’t see how he will be free from this one. It’s over! sorry, that just the end. If you think he’s going back so you his followers can get in power over we the poor and innocent people again then you better start looking for better things to do Mr/Mrs.
Hi Lotson – I don’t think I’ve seen a comment from you before. A warm welcome to you and thanks for sharing your comment with us. I hope we will continue to hear from you.
Best,
Tracey
Lotson,
Welcome. However, you told us that our lives were set back by greedy politicians.
Could you please name some of those greedy politicians that set back our lives?
To me, politicians mean more than one politician. So since you have chosen to use the plural politicians, it will behoove of you to tell us their names.
Lotson, President Taylor was elected. That’s how he became our president. By the way, this case has nothing to do with Liberia, just so you know.
Loston! We are in Africa and democracy started from here not the west. I welcome your comments and we are in a democratic world.
I think you must channels your anger at the United States, it has never had the interest of Liberia! But President Charles Taylor did more than any president who ruled the people of Liberia.
Take the emotions out and read the facts and you will agree with me.
God Bless Charles Taylor!
God Bless Liberia!
God Bless Africa!
Nii Darku, Ghana
Nii,
Are you really serious with our comment that Charles did more for Liberian than any other president? Wow! So why are you in Ghana did you get there because of the war? If so, that’s some of the great things that CT did for you, huh? There we go again, blaming the west for our failure as a people and our leadership.
I will agree CT did some thing that no other person has done in Liberia—Let’s see. He is the first person with several years in several jails in several countries. He is the first person and president to start a rebel war that virtually left Liberia crippled. He was the first person to have esclated the carniage, and the first and only person to have several rebel groups formed. He is the first person and president publicly humiliate the presidency with the legal of sub-human behavior. If you fled to Ghana like hundreds of thousands of others did, he was the first to make turn a nation to one of beggars and refugees.
So, I agree with you to an extend, but we see things from differently, I have a clear visiion and others are blind folded.
I will let to recevied the trial report on my phone
Hi Edmund S. Korpu — unfortunately we are not able to send these reports to people’s phones, which is a big shame. Sorry we cannot meet your request but hope you will keep joining us in the conversation here on the site.
Best,
Tracey