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Liberia: Defense - Former RUF Radio Operator's Story Is Not Believable


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GUEST BLOG
15 April 2008
Posted to the web 16 April 2008

The monitors of former President Charles Taylor's trial report for www.charlestaylortrial.org

Defense - Former RUF Radio Operator's Story Is Not Believable

On the fourth day of the cross-examination of prosecution witness TF1-516, defense counsel Morris Anyah pursued three main lines of attack on the credibility of the former Revolutionary United Front (RUF) radio operator.

Anyah continued to point out discrepancies between the witness's testimony and his prior statements to the prosecution; he disputed the accuracy of the witness's descriptions of Charles Taylor's farm in Gbarnga and the Executive Mansion in Monrovia; and he cast doubt on why the RUF would have sent an inexperienced Sierra Leonean operator to fulfill such an important mission in Liberia when there were other operators to choose from who were Liberian and had more experience. Anyah also probed the witness's testimony about Issa Sesay making unilateral decisions during the time that Sam Bockarie was still the leader of the RUF. In the course of the questioning, tension mounted between Anyah and the witness. At one point the prosecution objected that Anyah was arguing with the witness instead of asking questions. At another, Judge Richard Lussick admonished the witness to get control of himself and stop being disdainful of the defense counsel.

There were two private sessions during the day, the first requested by the defense and lasting about 15 minutes. The second private session, following the lunch break, dealt with two confidential procedural issues: one raised by the defense and one by the prosecution. It lasted for an hour and a half before proceedings resumed in open session. Presiding Judge Teresa Doherty explained that the matters concerned witness protection.

Inconsistencies

As he has for most of the cross-examination, Anyah again relied heavily on the notes of prosecution investigators to raise inconsistencies between the testimony of the witness in court and his earlier explanations to the prosecution.

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