International Tribunal Sentences Former Liberian President to 50 Years Prison

The Special Court for Sierra Leone has sentenced former president of Liberia Charles Taylor to 50 years prison for his role in orchestrating crimes committed by rebel forces in Sierra Leone during that country’s civil war in the 1990s. Taylor was convicted of all 11 counts of crimes for which he was indicted. These include acts of terrorism, murder, rape, sexual slavery, outrages upon personal dignity, and cruel treatment. Taylor has also been convicted of acts of enlisting child soldiers. Approximately 10,000 child soldiers fought in Sierra Leone during its civil war.  Taylor is the first head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials after WWII.

The full 2,539-page judgment, press releases, and video of the sentencing are available on the Special Court for Sierra Leone website.