Tribunal Sentences Charles Taylor to 50 Years for War Crimes

A special tribunal has sentenced former Liberian president Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone handed down its sentence Wednesday in The Hague, saying Taylor used his position to aid and abet rebels rather than to promote peace and stability.

Presiding Judge Richard Lussick said Taylor’s actions of supplying arms and providing encouragement and guidance to the rebels heightened the gravity of his criminal conduct.

“The steady flow of arms and ammunition he supplied extended the Sierra Leone conflict and the commission of crimes it entailed,” said Lussick. “Had the RUF/AFRC [Revolutionary United Front/Armed Forces Revolutionary Council] not had this support from Mr. Taylor, the conflict and the commission of crimes might have ended much earlier.”

Prosecutors had asked for an 80-year prison term, but the court said a sentence of that length “would be excessive.”

The court convicted the 64-year-old Taylor last month on all 11 counts of an indictment that included charges of murder, rape, sexual slavery, recruitment of child soldiers and enslavement.