American-Belgian Businessman Arrested in Sierra Leone "Blood Diamond" Case
Spanish authorities have arrested Michel Desaedeleer, a Belgian-American businessman, who has been accused of enslavement and pillaging "blood diamonds" during Sierra Leone´s civil war.
His arrest last week was prompted by a complaint filed in Belgium by several citizens from the west African nation in 2011. The case is expected to "shed light on the [...] infamous ´blood diamond´ trade in Sierre Leone".
In the war from 1991 to 2002, Liberian President Charles Taylor and the Revolutionary United Front rebel group in the district of Kono used civlians as slaves in diamond pits. Desaedeleer is said to be involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity between 1999 and 2001.