The verdict in the Charles Taylor trial: guilty

Publius

They're reading it out now. So far the trial court has just found that a wide array of crimes against humanity were committed by Liberoans in Sierra Leone.<p>

 

ETA: and listening to this verdict I can understand why this trial took five years. Holy crap at some of the things that went on.

Publius

It seems like they're finding insufficient evidence for for a lot of the accusations against Taylor.

cee-jay

Are you watching it or reading it?

Publius

Watching it.  The presiding judge has been reading for an hour and a half.

Publius

They have found him criminally responsible for aiding and abetting the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone.  They didn't find that he had command responsibility over them.  He's still reading his verdict though.  They haven't yet gotten to the actual charges in the indictment.

Publius

Guilty of aiding and abetting the commission of the following crimes and planning the commission thereof:

1. Acts of Terrorism

2. Murder

3. Violence to life, health, and physical well being of persons

4. Rape

5. Sexual slavery

6. Outrages upon personal dignity

7. Same as #3 but under a different article

8. Other inhumane acts

9. Conscripting or enlisting children under 15 into armed forces  

10. Enslavement

11. Pillage

 

mxolisi

One of my biglaw friends ended up working as a defense counsel for another person at this tribunal. He said it was the most disturbing year of his life, and some of the arguments he ended up making were pretty grotesque.  

My friends in Liberia are all shut in their homes today. Hopefully the verdict will go over peacefully.  

Publius

mxolisi:

One of my biglaw friends ended up working as a defense counsel for another person at this tribunal. He said it was the most disturbing year of his life, and some of the arguments he ended up making were pretty grotesque.  

 

I wish I could unhear some of the descriptions I heard today.  I'm a little worried about having dreams of human entrails being strung across the road as a road block.

mxolisi

Publius:

mxolisi:

One of my biglaw friends ended up working as a defense counsel for another person at this tribunal. He said it was the most disturbing year of his life, and some of the arguments he ended up making were pretty grotesque.  

 

I wish I could unhear some of the descriptions I heard today.  I'm a little worried about having dreams of human entrails being strung across the road as a road block.

Actually one of the defense arguments he concocted was that the use of human entrails in that fashion was not an act of terrorism because it was simply done because the defendant didn't have any rope...

I sometimes wonder how my friends in the Hague maintain a work life balance under these conditions! 

tartaruga

mxolisi:

Publius:

mxolisi:

One of my biglaw friends ended up working as a defense counsel for another person at this tribunal. He said it was the most disturbing year of his life, and some of the arguments he ended up making were pretty grotesque.  

 

I wish I could unhear some of the descriptions I heard today.  I'm a little worried about having dreams of human entrails being strung across the road as a road block.

Actually one of the defense arguments he concocted was that the use of human entrails in that fashion was not an act of terrorism because it was simply done because the defendant didn't have any rope...

I sometimes wonder how my friends in the Hague maintain a work life balance under these conditions! 

 

marie427

The guilty verdict is nice, but the details are horrifying. May he rot in hell.

Publius

mxolisi:

Publius:

mxolisi:

One of my biglaw friends ended up working as a defense counsel for another person at this tribunal. He said it was the most disturbing year of his life, and some of the arguments he ended up making were pretty grotesque.  

 

I wish I could unhear some of the descriptions I heard today.  I'm a little worried about having dreams of human entrails being strung across the road as a road block.

Actually one of the defense arguments he concocted was that the use of human entrails in that fashion was not an act of terrorism because it was simply done because the defendant didn't have any rope...

I sometimes wonder how my friends in the Hague maintain a work life balance under these conditions! 

This argument actually worked. The judges found that there wasn't enough evidence to prove that it was done in a systematic way to terrorize the community.