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Courtenay Griffiths, KC, the lead defence counsel for former Liberian President Charles Taylor during his landmark war crimes trial, has died, the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL) announced on 24 June 2025.
Griffiths represented Taylor before the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which sat in The Hague, from his appointment in July 2007 until the trial’s conclusion in May 2012. He later returned as pro bono counsel at Taylor’s request in August 2023.
A seasoned barrister from England and Wales, Griffiths was widely respected for his legal acumen and courtroom eloquence. Principal Defender Ibrahim Yilla praised him as “unyielding and eloquent beyond measure,” while RSCSL President Justice Richard Lussick remembered him as “a fine lawyer.” Registrar Binta Mansaray described Griffiths as both “forceful and kind.”
The RSCSL, which handles the Special Court’s residual functions, including sentence enforcement and witness protection, extended condolences to Griffiths’ family.
No cause of death was disclosed.
Griffiths’ legacy includes his pivotal role in one of Africa’s most high-profile war crimes cases, where Taylor was ultimately convicted in 2012 for atrocities committed during Sierra Leone’s civil war.
