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Prosecutors began their war crimes case against Liberia's Charles Taylor on Monday with footage of a Sierra Leonean whose hands were cut off by rebels, and testimony on the diamond trade that funded a brutal war.
The former Liberian president, once one of Africa's most feared warlords, faces charges of rape, murder, mutilation and recruitment of child soldiers at the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up to try those behind the 1991-2002 war.
The 59-year-old, the first former African head of state to face an international court, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He looked relaxed in court, wearing gold-rimmed spectacles, a dark suit and gold jewellery.
Taylor is accused of trying to gain control of Sierra Leone's mineral wealth, particularly its diamond mines, and seeking to destabilise its government by supplying the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels.
Prosecutors showed scenes from a documentary in which a Sierra Leonean diamond miner described how his hands were hacked off by laughing RUF rebels who later torched his house, killing his wife and children sheltering inside.
More than quarter of a million people were killed in intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
A generation of civilian amputees - their hands or legs chopped off by rebels - are a painful reminder of the cruelty of the conflict, in which drugged rebels and militias, often child soldiers, killed, raped and maimed.
Taylor's defence lawyers do not contest that atrocities took place in Sierra Leone but dispute Taylor's involvement and have questioned whether bringing victims to the Hague to testify would serve any purpose other than emotional impact.
Prosecutors called as their first witness Ian Smillie, a Canadian expert on the trade in conflict diamonds or "blood diamonds", smuggled out of Africa and used to buy arms.
"Diamonds are the most concentrated form of wealth on earth," Smillie said, adding diamonds from Sierra Leone were of much higher value than those from neighbouring Liberia, worth around $200 per carat compared with $25-30 per carat.
Prosecutors want the trial to set a precedent worldwide and end decades of impunity for African strongmen.
"This is a huge moment as a former head of state is tried for such serious crimes," said Elise Keppler of campaign group Human Rights Watch.
The trial is being held in The Hague because of fears it could spur instability if held in Sierra Leone.
Prosecutors intend to call 144 witnesses but hope half can submit their testimony in writing so they can wrap up their case in around eight months. They expect a judgment by the end of 2009, though an appeal would be likely to stretch into 2010.
Taylor boycotted the opening of his trial last June in a bid to win more funds for his defence, delaying the trial.
A new defence team was appointed in July and the former strongman is receiving legal aid despite suspicions he amassed a considerable personal fortune.
In the past, ousted African dictators have often fled overseas to live out their days unpunished. Taylor found exile in Nigeria after being overthrown in 2003, but was later handed to the court under international pressure.
- REUTERS
