A civil liberties set currently representing jailed former Liberian president Charles Taylor (pictured) is to become the first chambers to open an office in The Hague, Netherlands. 

From September, Doughty Street International will be headed by John Jones QC. It will be based in the centre of The Hague, just a five-minute walk from the International Court of Justice.

The office will provide support facilities for those members of chambers with practices in The Hague, some of whom are permanently based there, as well as serving as a centre for seminars and research.

Jones and associate tenant Dr Guenael Mettraux will be based in The Hague full-time, and the premises will act has home to others including Sir Keir Starmer QC, Wayne Jordash QC and Amal Alamuddin who will have cases at the International Court of Justice.

Jones currently have two cases there - representing Saif Gaddafi before the International Criminal Court and Mustafa Badreddine before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. ??He is also representing former Liberian President Charles Taylor in proceedings before the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.??

Taylor, who was sentenced by the UN-backed tribunal to a 50-year prison sentence in Britain has taken a legal action seeking his removal to an African jail arguing that he is being deprived of his right to a family life. He was convicted two years ago for aiding and abetting war crimes  and crimes against humanity.

 Jones has been counsel in five cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia notably in the acquittals of Croatian general Mladen Markac and the Bosnian commander in Stebrenica, Naser Oric.

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