Taylor is charged on 11 counts, including instigating mass murder, rape and mutilation and recruiting child soldiers during a 1991-2002 civil war in Sierra Leone. The ousted African leader is implicated in the killing of 120,000 civilians in the neighboring country, most notably through his support for a campaign of terror unleashed by rebels of the local Revolutionary United Front.
Taylor, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, said in a letter that he doubted the Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up in the capital Freetown in 2002, could ensure a fair trial for him.
"I choose not to be a fig leaf of legitimacy for this court," Taylor said, complaining he had just one defense lawyer against nine prosecutors. He also said he would defend himself rather than using a professional's services.
The message was read out by defense attorney Karim Khan at the trial's opening in The Hague, where the Sierra Leone tribunal had moved to avoid sparking tensions in West Africa.
The Netherlands' second city is also known as "the legal capital of the world," as it hosts major legal bodies such as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Hearings of Taylor's case went ahead Monday despite the defendant's absence, prompting Khan to walk out of the courtroom in protest.
Prosecutor Stephen Rapp, who made the opening statement, said it would take the court about a year-and-a-half to deliver a final verdict.
Taylor, deposed by an opposition uprising in 2003, found refuge in Nigeria, but was arrested on an international warrant and deported to Sierra Leone in March 2006. He has been held at a detention center in The Hague since last June.
