Ex-Liberian president Charles Taylor leaves Sierra Leone
20/06/2006 - 11:20:25Former Liberian president Charles Taylor left Sierra Leone today, a war crimes court spokesman said, apparently heading to The Hague, Netherlands, for a long-awaited trial on charges of allegedly backing brutal rebels in Sierra Leone.
Court spokesman Peter Andersen said Taylor was flown by UN helicopter to the airport on the outskirts of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown and escorted onto a plane that took off shortly afterward.
Andersen declined to specify where the plane was heading, but the Netherlands had agreed his trial could be held at The Hague and the last logistical hurdles for his transfer there were cleared yesterday.
