Liberia's Taylor boycotts war crimes trial

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor boycotted the start of his war crimes trial yesterday, saying he would not get a fair hearing at the UN- backed court where he is accused of atrocities in Sierra Leone.

It is the first such trial of an ousted African head of state in The Hague and prosecutors hope the case against Mr Taylor for involvement in murder, rape and mutilation will send a message that nobody can escape punishment.

But the first session descended into confusion as Mr Taylor's dramatic absence upstaged the proceedings.

"I cannot participate in a charade that does no justice to the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone," Mr Taylor said in a letter read by defence lawyer Karim Khan, who later walked out saying Mr Taylor now wanted to conduct his own defence.

"I choose not to be a fig leaf of legitimacy for this court," Mr Taylor said in the letter, complaining his defence lacked resources and he was not sure of a fair trial.

Mr Taylor, 59, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. An estimated 50,000 people died in the West African country's civil war between 1991 and 2002.