Former president of Liberia, Charles G. Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison by the International Criminal Court (ICC) Wednesday for war crimes committed in Sierra Leon during its civil war in the 1990s. Taylor is the first Head of State to be convicted since the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
ICC judge told New York Times that former president of Liberia was responsible for "aiding and abetting as well as planning some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history." Taylor's lawyer, Morris Anya argued that the 50 year prison sentence was unreasonable for 64-year old Taylor, especially considereing his delicate health conditions. He said they would immediately file for an appeal. Prosecutors too are considering appealing for a longer prison sentence of 80 years.
Taylor has been on trial since 2006. Initially the trial was set in West Africa, but fearing that the case might stir uproar, it was moved close to The Hague in Leidschendam, Netherlands. The case saw 115 witnesses testifying against Taylor. The former Head of State expressed his sympathies to the victims in a court address a month earlier, but remained quite throughout the ruling today.
The civil war in Sierra Leon broke out in the 1990s due to political, economic and ethnic turmoil. Taylor, the then leader of Liberia, assisted the Revolutionary United Front, a rebel group in Sierra Leon, in their fight against the government. The war ended in 1998, but left the majority of civilians either murdered, raped, handicapped or displaced. The land was in utter chaos. In 2001 the UN sent peacekeeping forces to disarm rebels. They pulled out in 2005. Amnesty International USA reports that although the country has been making progress since, it is still in great need of developmental, economic, political and social resolutions.
