Taylor Pleads Not Guilty at The Hague

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges stem from the 10-year long civil war in Sierra Leone, in which weapons purchases were partly funded by diamonds.

Taylor did not speak during the 50-minute hearing during which his lawyer Karim Asad Ahmad Khan complained about the 'Eurocentric' food his client is being served and the limitations on Taylor's phone calls. The lawyer told the court that he was unlikely to be ready for trial before July 2007.

Taylor's use of trading diamonds and lumber for weapons and other supplies to sustain his wars gave rise to the diamond industry’s decision to form the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) to end the flow of what became known as "Blood" or "Conflict Diamonds."