Charles Taylor testifies at his war crimes trial

(CNN) - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor expressed his incredulity at the testimony against him at his war crimes trial, saying Tuesday "there is no way" he is guilty of any of the charges.

"I am not guilty of all of these charges, not even a minute part of these charges," Taylor said in the first day of defense testimony. "This whole case is a case of deceit, deception, lies."

Taylor, 61, is the first defense witness at a trial that began two years ago at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is being held at The Hague.

President of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, Taylor is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone that led to widespread murder, rape and mutilation. The war, which involved riches from the diamond trade, was fought largely by teenagers who were forced to kill, given addictive drugs to provoke violent behavior, and often instructed to rape and plunder.

Taylor is charged with five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual slavery and violence, and enslavement. He also faces five counts of war crimes, including acts of terrorism and torture, and one count of other serious violations of international humanitarian law.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In his first statement to the court Tuesday, Taylor responded to accusations that he is a murderer and a terrorist.

"It is quite incredible that such descriptions of me would come about. Very, very, very unfortunate that the prosecution - because of this information, misinformation, lies, rumors - would associate me with such titles or descriptions," he said. "I am none of those, have never been, and will never be, whether they think so or not.

"I am a father of 14 children, grandchildren, with love for humanity. (I) have fought all my life to do what I thought was right in the interest of justice and fair play. I resent that characterization of me. It is false, it is malicious, and I stop there."