Court upholds sentence for former president

An international war crimes court has upheld the conviction and 50-year sentence of former Liberian president Charles Taylor for aiding rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Sep 2013, 16:30 BST

The appeals chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone upheld the 65-year-old’s conviction on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including terrorism, murder, rape and using child soldiers, saying Taylor’s financial, material and tactical support had allowed the crimes.

Taylor’s conviction in April 2012 was hailed as ushering in an era of accountability as he was the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since the Second World War.

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Taylor showed little emotion while presiding judge George Gelaga King read the unanimous verdict of the six-judge panel.

He is expected to serve his sentence in the UK.

A spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch said: “Taylor’s conviction sends a powerful message that those at the top can be held to account on the gravest crimes.”

Steven Rapp, ambassador for war crimes issues at the US department of state – and former prosecutor at the Sierra Leone court – added that the ruling “sends a clear message to all the world that when you commit crimes like this it may not happen overnight, but there will be a day of reckoning”.