Former leader of Liberia, Charles Taylor has finally received a guilty verdict after a trial that lasted five years and featured testimonies from many celebrity witnesses. Although Taylor –accused of backing rebels who killed tens of thousands of people between 1991-2002 during Sierra Leone’s civil war –was convicted on 11 charges including terror, murder and rape, he was not convicted for ordering the crimes to be committed.
Richard Lissick, the judge presiding over Taylor’s case said that as Liberian leader, Taylor had extended “sustained and significant” support to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone. He wet on to say that Taylor had sold diamonds and bought weapons on behalf of the RUF but fell short of effectively having command and control over the rebels.
Taylor is due to be sentenced on the 16th of May with the sentence to be handed down a little while later in the same month on the 30th May. It is thought that he will serve his sentence here in the UK. Many have applauded the decision and called it a step forward for international justice and proof that even heads of state are not immune from prosecution.
