The 64-year-old warlord-turned-president is the first former head of state to be convicted by an international war crimes court since the Second World War. He was found guilty last month of 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes, and crimes against humanity by supporting rebels between 1996 and 2002 in return for conflict diamonds.

The civil war in Sierra Leone left more than 50 000 dead in the west African state, and Taylor was convicted of offences including murder, rape, sexual slavery, recruiting child soldiers, enforced amputations and pillage.

In his final address to the UN-backed tribunal, Taylor denied encouraging human rights abuses during the prolonged civil war in Sierra Leone. Instead, he insisted he had in fact been trying to stabilise the region:

I express my sadness and sympathy for crimes suffered by individuals and families in Sierra Leone. What I did to bring peace to Sierra Leone was done with honour. I was convinced that unless there was peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia would not be able to move forward. I pushed the peace process hard, contrary to how I have been portrayed in this court.

He’d wanted the court to deliver its sentence in a spirit of “reconciliation, not retribution”, but this was not to be the case as a 50-year prison sentence was passed.

Prosecutor Brenda Hollis, wrote:

The purposely cruel and savage crimes committed included public executions and amputations of civilians, the display of decapitated heads at checkpoints… public rapes of women and girls, and people burned alive in their homes.

[His] positions both as president of Liberia and within the west African regional bodies distinguish him from any other individual that has appeared before this court. Taylor’s abuse of his authority and influence is especially egregious given that west African leaders repeatedly entrusted him with a role to facilitate peace.

Taylor’s sentence is likely to be served in the UK, which has offered to take him once his trial and appeal are completed.

Taylor’s defence lawyers told the court that exiling him to Britain’s jails would leave him “culturally isolated” and constitute a “punishment within a punishment”. They also described how a Serbian war crimes convict was attacked in his cell two years ago.

Judge Richard Lussick said the crimes in Sierra Leone were some of the most heinous in human history. Prosecutors had wanted an 80-year prison term, but the judge said that would have been excessive – taking into account the limited scope of his involvement in planning operations in Sierra Leone.

[Source: BBC]