In 2008, the former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, faced a courtroom in the Hague accused of war crimes.

His trial would last more than three years at the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, and involve witness appearances by the supermodel Naomi Campbell and the Hollywood actress Mia Farrow.

The 11 charges included rape, murder, violence and the use of child soldiers during the Sierra Leone civil war. It was claimed that Taylor traded in arms and ammunition in return for so-called blood diamonds.

Chief prosecutor Brenda Hollis speaks to Jane Wilkinson about the trial which ended when Taylor was jailed for 50 years for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity. It’s a story that includes descriptions of violence and sexual assault.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

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(Photo: Charles Taylor in court, 2010. Credit: Vincent Jannink/AFP via Getty Images)

Charles Taylor and the blood diamond trial

Witness History

Charles Taylor and the blood diamond trial