INTERPOL media release 04 December 2003

LYON, France - At the request of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, INTERPOL has issued a Red Notice for former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The notice was issued on 4 December 2003. This is in accordance with a cooperation agreement between INTERPOL and that court, finalized in November 2003.

The elements of the Charles Taylor Red Notice that can be made public are on the INTERPOL website, in the 'Wanted' section. The text of the cooperation agreement between INTERPOL and the Special Court for Sierra Leone and details of INTERPOL's system of international wanted persons notices, are on the site, in the 'Legal Materials' section.

Charles Taylor resigned as President of Liberia on 11 August 2003 and was granted asylum in Nigeria. The Special Court for Sierra Leone was established as a result of UN Security Council Resolution 1315 of 14 August 2000. It has indicted Charles Taylor on charges of crimes against humanity, violations of the Geneva Convention and other serious violations of international law.

INTERPOL member countries comply with their national laws in deciding whether a Red Notice represents a valid request for provisional arrest. Some countries permit the wanted person to be provisionally arrested pending extradition formalities, while others treat such a notice as a request for information and location of the individual, with no particular legal significance. The existence or not of a bilateral extradition treaty, convention or other legal instrument containing provisions on extradition is an important factor in the decision.

INTERPOL will make no further comment on this case. A fact sheet on the INTERPOL Notices system is available on the website at www.INTERPOL.int. Journalists requiring further information or comment are requested to contact the Special Court for Sierra Leone directly, in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The press officer for the court is Alison Cooper. Telephone +232 76 655 237 or +39 0831 257 034. Email: coopera@un.org