Charles Taylor ordered to apologise to Hague judges

Judges at the war crimes trial of Liberia's former President Charles Taylor are waiting to see if he will apologise as ordered for walking out earlier this week.


Charles Taylor is accused of selling "blood diamonds" from Sierra Leone

Defence sources say Mr Taylor will continue his boycott but his lawyer will appear.

The judges have said they could impose sanctions if lawyer Courtenay Griffiths does not apologise for walking out.

Mr Taylor denies 11 counts - including murder, rape, and using child soldiers.

Mr Taylor is accused of arming and controlling the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone during a 10-year campaign of terror conducted largely against civilians.

The RUF became infamous for hacking off the limbs of their victims, and using rape and murder to terrorise the population.

The trial started in June 2007. Mr Taylor also boycotted the opening, arguing he would not get a fair trial.

Friday was due to be the last day of the trial but the defence did not make its closing arguments as expected on Wednesday, so it is not clear what will happen.

Mr Taylor and his lawyers are upset at the court's refusal to accept a 500-page written summary of the trial that was submitted late.

"What we were trying to do is ensure we get some semblance of justice out of this and it's turned into this personalised attack on us," Mr Griffiths told reporters outside the court on Wednesday. "I find it totally despicable."

The defence has argued that Mr Taylor tried to broker peace in Sierra Leone at the request of regional powers.

He is accused of selling "blood diamonds" for the rebels, in return for supplying them with weapons.

Last year supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Mia Farrow were summoned to give evidence at the trial.

The prosecution was trying to establish a link between Mr Taylor and a number of uncut diamonds that Miss Campbell said she had been given in South Africa in 1997.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague has heard from more than 100 witnesses in what is the first international trial of an African former head of state.

The judges are expected to deliver a verdict later in the year.

If convicted, Mr Taylor would serve a prison sentence in the UK.