April tentative trial date for Charles Taylor-court

THE HAGUE, Sep 22 (Reuters) The UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has set a provisional start date to try Charles Taylor on April 2, 2007, the court said today.

''We are of the view that now is the time to fix a trial date that we can focus on,'' presiding judge Julia Sebutinde said in court.

''The date is subject to adjustment for good cause,'' she said adding the accused had the right to a trial without undue delay.

Taylor has been in custody since February and appeared in court in Freetown for an initial hearing in April, when he pleaded innocent to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for backing rebels who raped and mutilated civilians during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war.

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