The special court for Sierra Leone convicted the ex- president for war crimes on Thursday 26 April. He was found guilty of arming the Sierra Leone’s rebels in exchange for illegally-mined diamonds.
The presiding judge Richard Lussick said “The trial chamber finds you guilty of aiding and abetting of all these crimes,” and told the special court that Taylor would be sentenced on May 30.
Charles Taylor was convicted of acting in concert with the Sierra Leone’s rebels to terrorise the people of Sierra Leone in the war that lasted from November 30 1996 to January 18 2002 in which over 120,000 lost their lives.
The crime of Taylor and his men included terrorising of the civilian population, murder, sexual violence, recruitment of child soldiers, forced labour, abduction and looting
Taylor 64, was arrested in Nigeria by the Nigerian authorities on request
of Liberian President Johnson-Sirleaf and was transferred into the custody of
special court in Freetown. He was formally arraigned on 3 April 2006 where he
pleaded not guilty to the eleven counts in charge in the indictment. The court
sitting was moved to Hagues on the 6 June for security reasons.
Over 100 people testified in the high profile trial that began on the 4.June 2007 . Some known faces were also witnesses in the trial , dignitaries like Nelson Mandela, Mia Farrow and britisch supermodel Naomi Campbel who after a charity- dinner in Cape Town got a gift of diamond that came from Taylor, (according to the court) she however claimed not to know who gave them to her.. He would serve his term in London.
This is the first time a head of state is being tried by the international
court since Admiral Karl Doenitz, Adolf
Hitler’s successor was convicted by Nueremberg tribunal after the World War II.
Over 100 people testified in the high profile trial that began on the 4.June 2007 . Some known faces were also witnesses in the trial , dignitaries like Nelson Mandela, Mia Farrow and britisch supermodel Naomi Campbel who after a charity- dinner in Cape Town got a gift of diamond that came from Taylor, (according to the court) she however claimed not to know who gave them to her.. He would serve his term in London.
This judgement will serve as a
deterrent to other dictators and terrorists. They should know that the long arm
of the law will eventually catch up with them no matter how long it takes. They
will answer for their crimes at the appointed time. I hope Joseph Kony is listening from his hideout in the jungle.
A good riddance to a bad rubbish. This trial and conviction would go a long way in sending a clear signal to other potential war criminals and human rights abusers, that no matter how long it takes, a day of reckoning is in the waiting
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