The morning session started with the Prosecution (Shyamala Alagendra), and subsequently the Defense (Morris Anya), submitting exhibits, which were discussed for about 45 minutes.
Then Prosecution Witness TF1-026 (female, 26 years old from Freetown, Sierra Leone) was sworn in using a pseudonym and hidden behind a screen as protective measures. She gave detailed evidence about the day (6 January 1999) when RUF rebels came to her village near Freetown and emotionally described how the RUF rebels burned houses, amputated limbs of civilians and took her and others from the village to Kalabataa, where the Witness and 7 other girls from her village, were gang raped by RUF rebels.
While the Witness was given a break, Defense Counsel Anya questioned the relevance of this type of emotional evidence for the prosectution of Charles Taylor. Prosecutor Alagendra replied that they did not bring forward the Witness to create headlines, but to prove that these crimes had actually taken place. The Court allowed the Prosecution to proceed, also because this was not recognized by the Defense as “agreed facts”.
I do not see any reason or reasons why the socalled proscution keeps bringing victims to testify. The issue is not to establish whether or not there were killngs or other ugly things in S/Leone. The main issue is to establish Taylor’s link to what happened. Bringing victims to testify is just subject them to more emotional pains which to me is nonsense. Let them see reasons to stop hurting our people(Africans)for their own gains.