The judges presiding over war crimes trial of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor, are set to deliver their verdict soon, the BBC has reported.
Taylor who is facing 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity has been on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, sitting in the Hague for the past five years. He denies all wrongdoing. He is accused of backing rebels who killed tens of thousands of people during Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war. Among the offences he was notorious for include the use of child soldiers and hacking off the limbs of civilians. Mr Taylor is also accused of selling blood diamonds in order to buy weapons for Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front rebels (RUF). So far the trial has seen hundreds of witnesses including the likes of Hollywood actress Mia Farrow and supermodel Naomi Campbell called to the stand.
Many in Sierra Leone are hoping Charles Taylor’s sentence will be a long one as they fear his freedom will lead to negative consequences for them. If he is found guilty, he is expected to go to a prison in the UK as the Dutch government hosted the trial on the terms that Taylor would serve his sentence elsewhere.
