The trial of Charles Taylor, the former dictator of Liberia, began recently under the auspices of the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. Taylor was indicted in 2003, but received safe haven in Nigeria until 2006 when he was turned over by Nigerian authorities at the request of Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. MacArthur grantees the Nigerian Civil Liberties Organisation, Human Rights Watch, and Fédération Internationale des ligues des Droits de l’Homme have, with local partners, advocated vigorously for Taylor’s surrender and will monitor closely the proceedings of the trial. Transitional Justice, another Foundation grantee, has been active in both Sierra Leone and Liberia to help establish Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and to assist with the activities of the Special Court.
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