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August 10, 2010

Mia Farrow Testifies at Charles Taylor War Crimes Trial
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At the war crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor,
actress Mia Farrow told a court hearing Monday that she had heard
supermodel Naomi Campbell say she had been given a "huge diamond" by
Taylor when he was Liberia’s president. Prosecutors are hoping Farrow’s
claim will help establish that Taylor was involved in the trade of
so-called blood diamonds illegally mined from Sierra Leone. Last week,
Campbell appeared before the court in The Hague and admitted she had
received diamonds after a 1997 charity dinner in South Africa, but did
not know if they were from Taylor. On Monday, Farrow contradicted
Campbell and described meeting with Campbell the morning after she
received the diamonds.

Mia Farrow: "From Miss Campbell, Miss Campbell entered the room. My
children and I were already eating breakfast. And as I recall it, she
was quite excited and said, in effect, 'Oh, my god! In the middle of the
night last night,' or 'last night, I was awakened by knocking at the
door, and it was men sent by Charles Taylor. And he sent me,' as I
recall, 'a huge diamond.'"



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