What Will Naomi Campbell Say About Her Blood Diamond?
LatestBritish supermodel Naomi Campbell has been called to testify in the trial of former Liberian president Charles Ghankay Taylor at The Hague in the Netherlands — will she talk about her blood diamond?
Taylor faces 11 charges of crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone’s civil war, three of which relate to sexual violence. According to Time, prosecutors believe Taylor aided rebels in many killings and plunderings by “arming, training and controlling Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels … [in] Sierra Leone so he could strip it of its vast mineral wealth, in particular its diamonds.” The charges, according to Time:
” … relate to the murder, rape, sexual slavery and mutilation of civilians by rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone–or, as the prosecution put it, [Taylor is] charged with being “everything from terrorist to rapist.”
Campbell may hold one key to putting Taylor behind bars: an uncut diamond supposedly given to her by Taylor would help prosecutors prove Taylor’s involvement in the war crimes. For a year, Campbell avoided prosecutors and refused to return calls regarding Taylor’s alleged gift, but on June 29 she was finally subpoenaed. She’s scheduled to appear on the stand July 29 and her rep has confirmed that she will comply; if she doesn’t comply she could serve up to seven years in jail for withholding evidence.