Former Liberian President Charles Taylor boycotted the start of his war crimes trial Monday, saying he would not get a fair hearing at the UN- backed court where he is accused of atrocities in Sierra Leone.

It is the first such trial of an ousted African head of state in The Hague and prosecutors hope the case against Taylor for involvement in murder, rape and mutilation will send a message that nobody can escape punishment.

But the first session descended into confusion as Taylor's dramatic absence upstaged the proceedings. "I cannot participate in a charade that does no justice to the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone," Taylor said in a letter read by defense lawyer Karim Khan, who later walked out saying Taylor now wanted to conduct his own defense.

"I choose not to be a fig leaf of legitimacy for this court," Taylor said in the letter, complaining his defense lacked resources and he was not sure of a fair trial.

Taylor, 59, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. An estimated 50,000 people died in the West African country's civil war between 1991 and 2002.

Taylor's decision to defend himself echoed that of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who frustrated the efforts of war crimes prosecutors for over four years. Milosevic died before a verdict was delivered.

Presiding Judge Julia Sebutinde, a Ugandan, told the prosecutor to make his opening statement despite Taylor's absence, overruling Khan's protests and prompting him to leave the room to gasps of amazement from the public gallery.

"You don't just get up and go," said a shocked Sebutinde, commenting at one point, "Sanity will return to this court."

She later ordered the court to ensure Taylor had adequate means for his defense, given his dependence on court funds to pay his lawyers. The court was adjourned until June 25.
 
Even among Africa's horrific wars, the fighting in Sierra Leone stood out for its exceptional brutality - casual murder, mass rapes, the hacking of limbs from civilians and the press ganging of child soldiers as young as eight.

"As he ignored victims' suffering, he also chooses to ignore the presentation of these crimes," said prosecutor Stephen Rapp of Taylor's boycott. "He has thumbed his nose at this court."

Taylor's defense does not dispute the horrors, but says he did not orchestrate the fighting in Sierra Leone.

(China Daily via agencies June 5, 2007)