“Today’s re-opening of the trial of Dutch timber trader Guus Kouwenhoven for war crimes and violating the UN arms embargo on Liberia in The Netherlands is a second chance for justice” said Patrick Alley of Global Witness. “It is vital to send a message to those who break the law when trading in conflict areas: they do not have impunity.” Kouwenhoven was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for illegal arms trading in 2007...Kouwenhoven was head of the Oriental Timber Corporation (OTC) during the regime of President Charles Taylor, who waged a brutal war against the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone, funded largely through the sale of diamonds and illegal logging.