Former ICC Lawyer for Charles Taylor, Courtenay Griffiths, Dies

Courtenay Griffiths KC, the renowned British lawyer who represented former Liberian President Charles Taylor during his war crimes trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has passed away.

Born on October 10, 1955, in Kingston, Jamaica, Griffiths moved to the UK in 1961 and was raised in Coventry. He later earned an LLB (Hons) from the London School of Economics in 1979.

Griffiths was called to the Bar in 1980 (England & Wales) and went on to become one of the UK’s first Black lawyers appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 1998—a title now known as King’s Counsel (KC).

A respected figure in the legal community, he served as a Recorder (part-time Crown Court judge) from 2000 and practiced at leading chambers including Garden Court and 25 Bedford Row.

Griffiths gained international attention for his strong defense of Charles Taylor, often clashing with ICC prosecutors during the high-profile trial.