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Taylor behind bars in Sierra Leone

Court may begin proceedings soon

FREETOWN (Sierra Leone): The image of Liberia's one-time President Charles Taylor in handcuffs dominated Thursday's front pages in Sierra Leone, where he is to be tried for crimes against humanity stemming from his alleged support for rebels who raped and maimed during a civil war here.

Prosecutors at the tribunal called the Special Court convened to try those held responsible for Sierra Leone's civil war said Mr. Taylor's first appearance, during which he would hear the charges against him and be asked to plea, could be as early as Friday.

He is set to become the first-ever African head of state tried on war crimes charges by an international court.

``It is very important now that we move very quickly to get on with the initial appearance of Charles Taylor,'' Harpinder Athwal, special assistant to Chief Prosecutor Desmond de Silva, told reporters on Thursday.

His arrival in handcuffs at the court on Wednesday represented a watershed moment for West Africa, a region long shaken by a man once feared across the region for fomenting violence in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and elsewhere. Most of Sierra Leone's newspapers carried photos of Mr. Taylor, his handcuffed hands at his waist and wearing a bullet-proof jacket, on their front pages on Thursday.

Cheers, claps

``West Africa's wars catch up with Taylor,'' one newspaper headline blared.

Sierra Leoneans who watched the helicopter in which U.N. troops brought him to Freetown on Wednesday cheered and clapped.

Mr. Taylor has been indicted by the U.N.-backed tribunal on 11 counts stemming from his support for brutal rebels in Sierra Leone.

``Today is a momentous occasion, an important day for international justice, the international community, and above all the people of Sierra Leone,'' the prosecutor said. — AP

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