First Witness in War Crimes Trial will Be International Blood Diamond Expert

An international expert in the trade in blood diamonds will be the first witness to testify at the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor when it resumes six months after it adjourned.^[1]

Taylor is accused of terrorizing the people of Sierra Leone by orchestrating atrocities committed by militias known for hacking off their victims' limbs during the country's 10-year civil war that ended in 2003.^[2] Among the 11 charges against him are murder, rape, enslavement and conscripting child soldiers.^[3] Taylor, the first former African head of state to appear before an international tribunal, has pleaded innocent to all charges.^[4] It has been asserted that Taylor's desire to get his hands on diamonds from Sierra Leone was one of the root causes of his alleged involvement in the war.^[5]

Their first witness will be Ian Smillie, an expert on conflict or “blood” diamonds.^[6] Smillie is the first of 144 prosecution witnesses who will detail the issues involved in the illegal diamond trade.^[7]

Violations of the Clean Diamond Trade Act of 2003 (CDTA) are taken very seriously.^[8]The law bans the import of diamonds unless they undergo a rigorous certification procedure to ensure they do not come from illegal trade.^[9] The CDTA, makes it clear that importing conflict diamonds would be a violation of the import laws of the United States.^[10] Furthermore, a willful importation of conflict diamonds can be punished by a fine of not more than $50,000, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.^[11]

---

^[1] Mike Corder, 'Blood diamond' expert to be first witness in Charles Taylor war crimes trial, Associated Press Newswire, January 7, 2008, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] So called because they were smuggled out of Africa and sold, with the proceeds fueling wars across the continent in the 1990s and into the new century.
^[7] Id.
^[8] 19 U.S.C. §§ 3901 et seq. (2007).
^[9] Bush Signs Clean Diamond Act, Professional Jeweler Magazine, April 28, 2003.
^[10] Id. § 3907(b).
^[11] Id. § 3907(a)(2).