Charles Taylor Condemned to 50 years for War Crimes

Charles Taylor (1990)

Charles Taylor, 64, the former president of Liberia was sentenced to 50 years in prison for war crimes commited during over  eleven years (1991-2002) of civil war in Sierra Leone . An international court in The Hague, Netherlands gave the verdict.

The court condemned Taylor last month for helping rebels in Sierra Leone during a terrorize campaign that included murders, violations, sexual slavery and the recruit of minors.

The prosecutors asked the Special Court for Sierra Leone a sentence of 80 years for Taylor, but the judges considered such recommendation too excessive, quoting the “limited reach” of some points in the sentence.

Now the former president of Liberia will spend his sentence in a British prison. However he has not expressed any remorse and insisted his intention was one of peace. (AV)