Taylor Trial Transcript
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Case No. SCSL-2003-01-T THE PROSECUTOR OF THE SPECIAL COURT V. CHARLES GHANKAY TAYLOR MONDAY, 1 MARCH 2010 9.30 A.M. TRIAL TRIAL CHAMBER II Before the Judges: Justice Julia Sebutinde, Presiding Justice Richard Lussick Justice Teresa Doherty Justice El Hadji Malick Sow, Alternate For Chambers: Ms Erica Bussey For the Registry: Ms Rachel Irura Ms Zainab Fofanah For the Prosecution: Mr Nicholas Koumjian Ms Kathryn Howarth Ms Maya Dimitrova For the accused Charles Ghankay Mr Morris Anyah Taylor: CHARLES TAYLOR Page 36258 1 MARCH 2010 OPEN SESSION 1 Monday, 1 March 2010 2 [Open session] 3 [The accused present] 4 [Upon commencing at 9.30 a.m.] 09:29:06 5 PRESIDING JUDGE: Good morning. We will take appearances 6 first, please. 7 MR KOUMJIAN: Good morning, Madam President and 8 your Honours. Good morning, counsel opposite. For the 9 Prosecution this morning, Kathryn Howarth, Maja Dimitrova and 09:31:43 10 myself, Nicholas Koumjian. 11 MR ANYAH: Good morning, Madam President. Good morning, 12 your Honours. Good morning, counsel opposite. Appearing for the 13 Defence this morning are myself Morris Anyah. I am joined by 14 Mr Simon Chapman, who is a legal assistant with our office. 09:32:00 15 Thank you, Madam President. 16 PRESIDING JUDGE: Thank you. Morning, Mr Smythe. 17 THE WITNESS: Good morning, your Honour. 18 PRESIDING JUDGE: Your testimony continues this morning, 19 and I would just like to remind you of your oath to tell the 09:32:13 20 truth. 21 THE WITNESS: Thank you, your Honour. 22 PRESIDING JUDGE: Mr Koumjian, I think you were continuing 23 with your cross cross-examination. 24 WITNESS: YANKS SMYTHE [On former oath] 09:32:22 25 CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR KOUMJIAN: [Continued] 26 Q. Could the witness please be given back the document that we 27 were working on that has not yet been marked for identification. 28 Mr Smythe, do you recall that when we finished Friday, you 29 had written down - I had asked you to list the headquarters of SCSL - TRIAL CHAMBER II CHARLES TAYLOR Page 36259 1 MARCH 2010 OPEN SESSION 1 the NPFL that had radios. You had said that radios were in all 2 controlled areas of the NPFL and I had asked you to list the 3 headquarters, and I believe that is now on the screen. Sir, I 4 would like you to go back to that document. Could you please 09:33:01 5 take the other seat - you have the document in front of you. 6 That's okay. Sir, on the document you have listed - and I 7 believe we have already read into the record - the various 8 headquarters where there were radios; is that correct? 9 A. Yeah. I have one to add. 09:33:15 10 Q. You have one to add this morning after thinking over the 11 weekend? 12 A. Yes. 13 Q. Okay. Can you please add that. Sir, did you add one new 14 name or more than one? 09:33:41 15 A. More than one. 16 Q. Can you read the first name that you added? 17 A. That's Robertsfield Airport and Voinjama. 18 Q. So you added those two? 19 A. Yes. 09:33:50 20 Q. Now, sir, can you, next to each of the names of the 21 headquarters that had radios that you have written down, write to 22 the right of that - to the right of each of those the call sign 23 for that station? 24 A. I can't remember the call signs of all of these stations. 09:34:11 25 It's been a very long time. I can't remember, actually. 26 Q. Okay. Write down the call signs of the stations you do 27 recall. 28 A. Only one I can recall is Gbarnga. That is Treetop. 29 PRESIDING JUDGE: Mr Anyah? SCSL - TRIAL CHAMBER II CHARLES TAYLOR Page 36260 1 MARCH 2010 OPEN SESSION 1 MR ANYAH: Just for purposes of clarification, when this 2 chart was initially undertaken by the witness, the request was in 3 relation to a specific date as of January 1, 1992. I wonder 4 whether this additional information - the witness has been 09:34:49 5 advised to limit it to at that scope. 6 PRESIDING JUDGE: Yes, Mr Koumjian, that's a valid 7 observation. 8 MR KOUMJIAN: Certainly: 9 Q. Sir, the two additional names that you added, did those 09:35:01 10 headquarters exist on January 1, 1992? 11 A. Excuse me? 12 Q. You added Robertsfield; is that correct? 13 A. That's correct. 14 Q. Was that an NPFL-controlled area January 1, 1992? 09:35:18 15 A. Yes, Robertsfield was under NPFL control, yes. 16 Q. And you added Voinjama. Was that an NPFL-controlled area? 17 A. Yes. 18 Q. Sir, you said you only recall one code name - one call 19 name; is that correct? 09:35:34 20 A. That's correct, yes. 21 Q. Which one is that? 22 A. That's Gbarnga, Treetop. 23 Q. Would you write "Treetop" next to "Gbarnga"? 24 A. I have already done that. 09:35:41 25 Q. Thank you very much, sir. Could that just be put on the 26 screen for public display. Sir, I want to ask you a little bit 27 more about radios. Can you tell us which - when you were a 28 radio -- 29 PRESIDING JUDGE: Mr Koumjian, I can't quite recall, but SCSL - TRIAL CHAMBER II CHARLES TAYLOR Page 36261 1 MARCH 2010 OPEN SESSION 1 were all these names read into the record? 2 MR KOUMJIAN: I believe they were, yes, your Honour, at the 3 end of Friday. But perhaps - I see we don't - we can put some 4 additional information. Could the document please be handed back 09:36:44 5 to the witness: 6 Q. At the top, sir, could you write "NPFL radio stations", if 7 there's space, "January 1, 1992". 8 A. Are you trying to limit these to only January 1? 9 Q. I asked you as of January 1, yes. January 1, 1992. Sir, 09:37:36 10 perhaps while you have the document, could you please sign the 11 document and put today's date, which is 1 March 2010. 12 Your Honour, perhaps this is a good time, before I forget, 13 to ask to have this document given an identification number? 14 PRESIDING JUDGE: This is the list of locations for NPFL 09:38:27 15 radio stations as of January 1, 1992, drawn up by the witness 16 Yanks Smythe. That is marked MFI-431. 17 MR ANYAH: Madam President, I have a photograph as MFI-431 18 already. 19 PRESIDING JUDGE: Yes, you are right. You are absolutely 09:38:58 20 right. I beg your pardon. That last list will be marked 21 MFI-432. 22 MR KOUMJIAN: I take full responsibility for that, because 23 I had belatedly asked for a number for the photograph after 24 your Honour reminded me that I had not: 09:39:16 25 Q. Sir, when you were a radio operator for Charles Taylor, 26 what frequencies did you broadcast at? 27 A. I can't remember the frequencies. We were broadcasting so 28 many frequencies, so I can't specifically remember which one. I 29 can't remember. SCSL - TRIAL CHAMBER II CHARLES TAYLOR Page 36262 1 MARCH 2010 OPEN SESSION 1 Q. Can you explain what you mean when you say you broadcast at 2 so many frequencies? 3 A. Yeah, because you will call a radio station and they will 4 ask you, "Go to this frequency." You go there, you'll 09:39:41 5 communicate. We have open frequencies, so I can't remember which 6 one. I can't remember the exact frequency. 7 PRESIDING JUDGE: Mr Anyah, you are on your feet again. 8 MR ANYAH: Yes, I apologise for interrupting, but could we 9 see what the witness wrote on that document? The MFI has been 09:39:58 10 taken away. 11 PRESIDING JUDGE: Yes. 12 MR ANYAH: And I don't know what he wrote at the top. 13 PRESIDING JUDGE: Please put the MFI back on the overhead. 14 And also, Mr Witness, you have been asked to slow down. I know 09:40:11 15 you are a fast speaker naturally, but please make sure that you 16 do slow down when giving your answers. 17 THE WITNESS: Thank you, your Honour. 18 MR KOUMJIAN: 19 Q. Sir, the record that we have right now didn't get 09:40:37 20 everything you said in the last answer, so I will just ask you to 21 repeat it. Can you explain - you said you could not remember the 22 frequencies you were broadcasting because there were so many 23 frequencies, and my question was: "Can you explain what you mean 24 when you say you broadcast on so many frequencies?" 09:41:02 25 A. What I mean, I broadcast on so many frequency - I broadcast 26 on many frequencies. If I call a radio, you know, maybe I can 27 tell the radio to switch to another frequency. We communicate on 28 the frequency. We have open frequencies. All the other 29 frequencies, you know, as you scroll - I mean, scan through the SCSL - TRIAL CHAMBER II CHARLES TAYLOR Page 36263 1 MARCH 2010 OPEN SESSION 1 radio, you can get many frequencies.