SIERRA LEONE: Taylor hunts for defence lawyers
published: Wednesday | April 5, 2006

FREETOWN (REUTERS):

Former Liberian leader Charles Taylor is hunting for lawyers to defend him after pleading not guilty to war crimes at a U.N.-backed court in Sierra Leone, his advisers say.

Africa's most feared warlord pleaded innocent on Monday to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role backing rebels who raped and mutilated civilians and recruited child soldiers during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war.