The Case of Naomi Campbell's Blood Diamond

by Te-Ping Chen · 2010-07-07 09:05:00 UTC
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You'd think getting called to testify about whether a man on trial for war crimes once gifted you a mammoth 'blood diamond' might cloud anyone's holiday. If so, supermodel Naomi Campbell gave no indication this past weekend — she spent the Fourth of July yachting on the French Riviera and partaking in exuberant champagne showers.

For the last three years, former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor has been on trial in the Hague for — among other crimes — instigating rape of women and girls, sexual slavery, murder, mutilation and conscription of child soldiers. Oh, and for using the sale of blood diamonds to pay for such terror and killings.

Enter Campbell. Her testimony about Taylor's gift could help prosecutors, but so far, the supermodel has stayed studiously mum. (Earlier this year, when questioned by ABC News on the matter, she refused all related questions and exited in haste, thwacking the camera as she left the stage.) As she told Oprah, "I don't want to be involved in this man's case — he has done some terrible things and I don't want to put my family in danger."

But despite her silence, as Eric Pape suggests, Campbell's unwillingness to assist the tribunal might actually add up to the "greatest public service" of her career.

Since the court issued 13 indictments against Taylor in 2003, its attempts to prosecute Taylor for his diamond-fueled crimes against humanity have gone largely uncelebrated. Now, though, that a supermodel's reputation is on the line, the tribunal's efforts to account for atrocities in Sierra Leone are enjoying a new global platform.

At this point, it's more than just Campbell's reputation at stake here, too — it's her freedom. Last week, the Special Court for Sierra Leone ordered Campbell to testify by July 29 or risk a prison term of up to seven years (or a fine of about $500, or both).

So maybe there's an upside if Campbell actually keeps silent for a bit longer. The sight of a global supermodel risking jail for the sake of the notorious Liberian warlord? The quest to bring Charles Taylor to justice is getting showered with new press — and intentionally or not, it's all thanks to Campbell.

Photo Credit: Proingenuity

Te-Ping Chen Te-Ping Chen is a freelance writer and U.S. Truman Scholar whose writing has appeared in the Nation Magazine, the South China Morning Post magazine, Le Soir, and Slate.com.
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