Charles Taylor War Crimes Trial Opens

The trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor has opened. Taylor led his country into a civil war that claimed the lives of 200,000 before exporting the war to neighboring Sierra Leone. During his reign of terror, diamonds were used to finance the wars, coining the phrase "blood" or "conflict" diamonds.

The trial opened Monday, but Taylor decided to not appear in the U.N.-backed court in The Hague, Netherlands. He is charged by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, a United Nations backed tribunal, with crimes against humanity between 1996 and 2002.

Prosecutors accused him of murder, sexual abuse, amputation, and slave labor. According to prosecutor Stephen Rapp, Taylor is responsible for bringing about “the very worst humans are capable of doing to one another.” Taylor used guerrilla forces and drugged child soldiers forced into a routine of murder and violence.

The rebels in Sierra Leone forced civilians to mine diamonds.

Prosecutor Mohamed Bangura of Sierra Leone said, “The people of Sierra Leone have a saying: No matter how long the night is, light will come. For years, the accused's crimes have remained in the dark. Today we start to shed light on his responsibility for the suffering of the people of Sierra Leone.”