Former Liberian President in court

The former warlord faces 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly overseeing the murder, rape and mutilation of thousands of people during Sierra Leone's bloody 10-year civil war. He has pleaded not guilty but faces a life sentence if convicted.

Photo: Former Liberian President in court

Taylor was flown to the Netherlands in June to stand trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The court is renting space at the International Criminal Court on the outskirts of The Hague, fearing that staging Taylor's trial in Sierra Leone could trigger fresh unrest in the war-scarred African nation, according to the AP.

The charges against Taylor stem from his alleged backing of Sierra Leonean rebels, who terrorized victims by chopping off their arms, legs, ears and lips.

Taylor also launched a Liberian insurgency in 1989 and won elections that handed him the presidency in 1997. Rebels took up arms against him three years later, and he fled to Nigeria in 2003 at the end of Liberia's 14-year civil war.