As we wait for the last verdicts from the domestic court in Sierra Leone, Reuters reports that the Charles Taylor trial is in financial jeopardy. Money quote:
The U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is pursuing those held most responsible for atrocities during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war, faces a budget shortfall of more than $5 million from May, officials said.
“With the economic crisis continuing, to get funds is not easy … If we run out, it is now possible the judges will have to release him. That’s our real anxiety,” Chief Prosecutor Stephen Rapp told Reuters in a phone interview late on Monday.
Daniel and I predicted the economic crisis would decrease international interventions to prevent atrocities in our annual report. I know I didn’t imagine the crisis could stop an ongoing trial, however. Letting Taylor go free would set an awful precedent; hopefully, this is merely a strategic leak from the prosecutor’s office to mobilize pressure on the international community and secure the necessary funds.
Taylor stands accused of a variety of violations of international humanitarian law, including crimes against humanity, war crimes, and sexual slavery.
