My Country ‘Tis of Thee

I don’t know what’s more exciting--- the Dutch beating Brazil, or Supermodel Naomi Campbell’s subpoena to testify at Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial in The Hague.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/10480596.stm

What next?

As expected, today’s Quarter-Final match between The Netherlands and Brazil was as exciting as the final itself. Tomorrow’s match between Germany and Argentina should be just as intense.

The Dutch 2-1 thrilling victory today bodes well for their prospects as 2010 Champions. Whichever team emerges from the Argentina/Germany/Spain battle on the other side of the bracket will be bruised, bloodied and covered in red cards by the time they meet the Netherlands in the final. Hup Holland!

It’s my favorite team, probably because I’ve seen more futbol there than anywhere else, and because if I were to have a favorite country, it would be Holland. It’s the best place in the world if you like bike paths, Van Gogh, and war crimes trials.

The upcoming drama of the Warlord and the Supermodel in a courtroom in The Hague illustrates the unique geography that has made Holland the center of the international infrastructure that prosecutes the so-called ‘crimes of international concern:’ genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

War-crimes prosecutors contend that in 1997 Charles Taylor, then president of Liberia, gave Ms. Campbell diamonds after meeting her at a dinner party hosted by Nelson Mandela (then president of South Africa) in Pretoria.

The diamonds could be significant as evidence of illegal money used to finance criminal violence, on a dramatic scale. As president of Liberia, Taylor is alleged to have fomented violence and rebellion in neighboring Sierra Leone. Tens of thousands of people were killed, raped or mutilated---the practice of amputating arms was wide-spread. The charges against Mr. Taylor include murder, conscripting child soldiers, and terrorizing and mutilating civilians.

An international war crimes tribunal, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (the SCSL) was established to prosecute perpetrators. The first ‘hybrid’ international court, the SCSL sat in Freetown but was composed of national and international judges.

Taylor agreed to step down as president of Liberia in 2003. He accepted exile in Nigeria, where he thought he was safe. But the SCSL indicted Taylor for crimes committed in Sierra Leone. In a surprise move, Taylor was arrested as he tried to flee Nigeria in 2006.

At that point the geography of Charles Taylor became even more complex. He was flown, briefly, to Liberia, and then officially transferred to the Special Court in Sierra Leone. But Taylor ended up in The Hague after West African governments deemed that a trial in the region would be potentially too dangerous. (See http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/04/trying-charles-taylor-justice-here.php)

Currently, Taylor’s trial is conducted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, but in a courtroom provided by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Taylor is housed in a detention center nearby that is also used for defendants from Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo as they await trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Taylor denies any involvement with ‘blood diamonds,’ which makes Ms. Campbell’s testimony potentially significant. Ms. Campbell has so far refused to testify regarding the alleged diamonds from Taylor, but her disgruntled ex-assistant insists that Campbell did, in fact, receive such a gift. Mia Farrow has provided a sworn statement collaborating the assistant’s version of events.

Given the violence and the copious amount of testimony of atrocities in Liberia and Sierra Leone, it would be a bit ironic if Taylor was convicted on the testimony of a cover girl.

Whatever it takes, I guess.