it will answer the questions raised by the SCSL's proceedings against Charles Taylor.

In sum, the practice of States and courts in this area remains fluid and clear standards have not yet emerged, but the immunity of high States' officials is gradually being reduced.

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About the Authors:

Cesare P.R. Romano: Assistant Director of the Project on International Courts and Tribunals at the Center on International Cooperation, New York University; Adjunct Professor of International Law, Fordham University.

[1] Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war actually begun in neighboring Liberia. In 1989, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor begun an uprising against the government of the incumbent Liberian Samuel Doe. On March 23, 1991, mercenaries loyal to Charles Taylor, invaded Sierra Leone. A group calling itself the Revolutionary United Front(RUF), led by Foday Sankoh, soon took credit for the invasion. The RUF has battled the Sierra Leone Government and UN troops for the whole of the 1990s. Foday Sankoh is currently awaiting trial in custody of the SCSL..

[2] The timing and methods of unsealing the indictment and issuing of the arrest warrant is questionable. The SCSL Prosecutor gave the indictment to the press while Taylor was traveling to Ghana, but, there are seemingly no instructions to lift the non-disclosure order. The indictment was posted on the SCSL website soon after the press conference, but it has been removed subsequently ( as of this date it is still not posted). The arrest warrant was seemingly served on Ghana by the SCSL in the morning of June 4, 2003.