Bush, Nigerian president discuss bringing Taylor to trial News
Bush, Nigerian president discuss bringing Taylor to trial

[JURIST] President Bush and visiting Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo [official website] discussed how indicted ex-Liberian president Charles Taylor might be brought to trial during a meeting Thursday at the White House. Taylor, now in exile in Nigeria, has been charged by the Special Court for Sierra Leone [official website] with 17 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and violations of humanitarian law commited during his 15 year reign in Liberia. Earlier this week outgoing SCSL chief prosecutor David Crane called for President Bush to take action [press release] to bring Taylor to justice [JURIST report] after the US House of Representatives passed a resolution [PDF] encouraging Nigeria to hand Taylor over to the Special Court. Obasanjo has previously stated that he would not hand Taylor over until Liberia's government requested he do so, but after the meeting he indicated that he will work with the US to ensure "that whoever has done wrong…be brought to justice." Bush has been criticized in the past for failing to make efforts to bring Taylor to trial. AP has more.

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