Charles Taylor Found Guilty

[Heimdalr]

I can't believe I missed this, but for the first time since the trial of Karl Dönitz, a former head of state has been successfully convicted by an international court. Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, ruled between 1997 and 2003, running on the campaign slogan of "He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I'll vote for him". The UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, successfully having convicted several Revolutionary United Front leaders for crimes against humanity during the last 20 years, took Taylor in to face trial for his own.

He was pulling the strings in the civil war in Sierra Leone at the time and granting audience to foreign "dignitaries" such as Pat Robertson, Kilari Anand Paul, Viktor Bout and possibly Anders Behring Breivik. He was found guilty on all eleven charges, including but not limited to murder, rape, pillage and slavery. This is the cookie-cutter bad guy the international justice establishment was waiting for, the guy who was pretty much conceived so that such courts could have something juicy on their plate.

Perhaps the most interesting precedent is how he was found guilty of rape committed by his soldiers on the battlefield, a first in international law as far as I know. Rape as a weapon of war is a kind of terrorism in and of itself; and if nothing else, it is a relief to know that the international community does no longer tolerate it.

The sentence will be ready in a month or so.

I wonder what kind of precedent this will set for other soon-to-be former despots (hint بشار الأسد‎‎), if this will make international courts relevant again, or maybe this is just a strike of pure luck.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian

CBC

[azulmagia]

This will never apply to people like Bush, so what's the point.

[Heimdalr]

azulmagia

This will never apply to people like Bush, so what's the point.

Got to start somewhere. I'm not talking about retroactively applying Nürnberg tribunals to former US presidents, I'm saying we could just as well start small with indicting these unlikable military dictators from poor African countries and then work our way up to the top. Besides, compared to this guy I think Bush was a saint.

[METALFumasu]

Good to hear that.

It should also be noted that this is the first time a head of state has successfully convicted of crimes against humanity in international court. Grand Admiral Donitz was not convicted of that charge, he got convicted of crimes against the laws of war and engaging in wars of aggression.

Now will we be hearing news of certain other despots ending up in ICC any time soon, and will w

As the Zen Master says, "We'll see."

[Less Than Liz]

Yeah, a professor at my university was the founding prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone, so the entire law campus has been filled with buzz over this. Needless to say, good to hear.

[Heimdalr]

Less Than Liz

Yeah, a professor at my university was the founding prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone, so the entire law campus has been filled with buzz over this. Needless to say, good to hear.

Ha, I expected you to be informed but now I just feel like a slowpoke. : )

METALFumasu

It should also be noted that this is the first time a head of state has successfully convicted of crimes against humanity in international court. Grand Admiral Donitz was not convicted of that charge, he got convicted of crimes against the laws of war and engaging in wars of aggression"

I didn't separate between the two really.

It should be added though that Slobodan Milosevic would in all likelihood have been convicted alongside his top commanders had he not died in his cell. A loss for the procedural aspect and the case for legitimacy of international courts, but I would not go as far as to say loss of a decent human being.

[azulmagia]

METALFumasu

It should also be noted that this is the first time a head of state has successfully convicted of crimes against humanity in international court. Grand Admiral Donitz was not convicted of that charge, he got convicted of crimes against the laws of war and engaging in wars of aggression.

Like Bush did.

[Heimdalr]

azulmagia

METALFumasu

It should also be noted that this is the first time a head of state has successfully convicted of crimes against humanity in international court. Grand Admiral Donitz was not convicted of that charge, he got convicted of crimes against the laws of war and engaging in wars of aggression.

Like Bush did.

Try not to segway with the Bush is a Nazi meme, it was old and I mean old even before his reelection. Especially not by comparing him to Dönitz.

[Less Than Liz]

Heimdalr

Less Than Liz

Yeah, a professor at my university was the founding prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone, so the entire law campus has been filled with buzz over this. Needless to say, good to hear.

Ha, I expected you to be informed but now I just feel like a slowpoke. : )

Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to take a class with Professor Crane just yet. Syracuse works alongside Maxwell, and consequently allows students who take particular classes the opportunity to graduate with a National Securities certificate. So we have a lot of interesting classes ranging from Prosecuting Terrorists to Practicing Before International Tribunals. I'm hoping to squeeze something in before I graduate just because I find it personally interesting, but we'll see what's available.

/digression

[Heimdalr]

Less Than Liz

Heimdalr

Less Than Liz

Yeah, a professor at my university was the founding prosecutor of the Special Court of Sierra Leone, so the entire law campus has been filled with buzz over this. Needless to say, good to hear.

Ha, I expected you to be informed but now I just feel like a slowpoke. : )

Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to take a class with Professor Crane just yet. Syracuse works alongside Maxwell, and consequently allows students who take particular classes the opportunity to graduate with a National Securities certificate. So we have a lot of interesting classes ranging from Prosecuting Terrorists to Practicing Before International Tribunals. I'm hoping to squeeze something in before I graduate just because I find it personally interesting, but we'll see what's available.

/digression

If this international law thing snowballs enough you'd be extremely privileged to have been lectured by one of its first champions. How do you think the outlook is for the ICC and specialized UN tribunals in the decades to come?