JURIST - Paper Chase: Sweden says it cannot incarcerate Taylor without changing laws

[JURIST] A spokesman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry [official website] told AFP Thursday that under its current legal structure, Sweden would not be able to incarcerate former Liberian President Charles Taylor [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] following his war crimes trial, but that it could reconsider the request if its parliament passes appropriate legislation this summer.

The UN-supported Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) [official website] wants to move Taylor's trial to The Hague [JURIST report] for security reasons, but the UN Security Council will not approve the venue switch until the SCSL completes its search [JURIST report] for a country that can imprison Taylor if he is found guilty, or a country that will grant him asylum if he is acquitted. Sweden has been considered because its law allows the country to assist certain UN international courts such as the ICC [official website], the ICTY [official website] and the ICTR [official website], but there is no provision to assist the SCSL. AFP has more.

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