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Blood diamonds

president at podium

Russia’s ‘conflict diamonds’ under scrutiny 

Ukraine

The United States is not at war with Russia though it is supplying Ukraine with lots of weaponry. And Washington is wielding its economic might against Moscow. US sanctions cover a wide range of Russian industries: fossil fuels, banking, aviation — and even precious minerals, like diamonds.

Companies like the Diamond Foundry can manufacture a high-quality diamond in about two weeks. It takes the Earth about a billion years to do it the traditional way.

Diamond labs say theirs are forever too — even if they were made yesterday

Business
Screenshot of man beating another man, who is on the ground

New footage shows diamond diggers being tortured with a machete in Angola

Conflict

Charles Taylor, former leader of Liberia, found guilty of war crimes

Verdict expected this week in war crimes trial of Liberia’s Charles Taylor

Charles Taylor Found Guilty of War Crimes

Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia who was on trial at the International Criminal Court’s Special Court for Sierra Leone has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This marks the first time in history the ICC has delivered a verdict for a head of state, judging if wartime conduct was so […]

Charles Taylor’s Legacy in Sierra Leone

The former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. The 11 charges include murder, rape, mutilations and the use of child soldiers. Alan Little of our partner the BBC reported on the conflict. He’s returned to […]

Liberia’s Charles Taylor Guilty of Aiding Sierra Leone War Crimes

Conflict & Justice

International judges find former Liberian leader Charles Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war at his trial in The Hague.

Sierra Leoneans Eagerly Await Verdict in Charles Taylor Trial

Conflict & Justice

The verdict in the trial of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor is expected on Thursday. Taylor is charged with war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone, and people in that West African country are hoping for a guilty verdict.

The World

The warlord and the supermodel: Naomi Campbell testifies at The Hague

Conflict & Justice

Former warlord and president of Liberia Charles Taylor has been on trial for over three years, charged with war crimes he allegedly committed in Sierra Leone. Alpha Sesay, a trial monitor for the Open Society Trial Initiative, joins us with details.