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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 26 Apr 2012 : 08:37:43
Charles Taylor guilty of aiding Sierra Leone war crimes
26 April 2012
 International judges have found former Liberian leader Charles Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war, at his trial in The Hague.
Taylor has been on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone for almost five years.
He was accused of backing rebels who killed tens of thousands during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war.
But he was cleared of ordering their crimes.
Human rights groups have described the judgement as historic.
"This is an incredibly significant decision," Elise Keppler from the campaign group Human Rights Watch told the BBC. "Today is a landmark moment."
Right group Amnesty International said the verdict sent an important message to all high-ranking state officials
.......A sentence hearing will be held on 16 May, with the sentence to be handed down on 30 May.......
Taylor is expected to serve his sentence in a British prison as the Dutch government only agreed to host the trial if any ensuing jail term was served in another country.
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 19 Jun 2014 : 20:50:43
"A Ministry of Justice Spokesman said: “Charles Taylor is being treated in accordance with the United Kingdom’s obligations and in the same way as any other prisoner in England and Wales.”
How boring, table tennis or TV what a choice for us inmates !!!!!!
"He also said he feared being attacked by other inmates at HMP Frankland and that prisoners carrying out their “own brand of justice” will soon lead to him being seriously injured or killed."
Oh Dear,what, NO JUSTICE in the UK for a creature like taylor !!!!
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| Momodou |
Posted - 19 Jun 2014 : 15:16:31
Charles Taylor sues Britain for denying him right to family life
 An African warlord imprisoned for 50 years over crimes against humanity is suing Britain for denying him the right to a family life.
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor, says his incarceration in a jail in county Durham keeps him from his wife and 15 children in Africa.
Taylor was convicted in 2012 on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including terrorism, murder, rape and using child soldiers during a civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s that left tens of thousands of people dead.
The U.K. agreed to imprison Taylor, 66, after the conviction.
He has now lodged legal papers with the United Nations’ Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague claiming that his detention in the UK breaches his human rights.
Taylor is said to have written to the Dutch court arguing that his family should be able to visit him more easily.
He wrote: “My position is that serving my sentence in Rwanda, in my home continent of Africa, would be substantially more humane not only on my own account, but also on account of the impact on my family.”
He also said he feared being attacked by other inmates at HMP Frankland and that prisoners carrying out their “own brand of justice” will soon lead to him being seriously injured or killed.
Taylor has appointed lawyers in England, including a QC and with the case heard in the Netherlands could cost the Government tens of thousands of pounds in legal costs.
A Ministry of Justice Spokesman said: “Charles Taylor is being treated in accordance with the United Kingdom’s obligations and in the same way as any other prisoner in England and Wales.”
Taylor aided rebels in Sierra Leone during the brutal civil war in the 1990s which left 50,000 people dead.
Thousands more were left mutilated in the conflict that became known for the extreme cruelty of rival rebel groups who hacked off the limbs of their victims and carved their initials into opponents.
Source: TVC News |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 14 Oct 2013 : 23:33:47
Quelle surprise, moi? 
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| Momodou |
Posted - 14 Oct 2013 : 22:28:52
Toubab, Did you scare him. 
Liberia's Charles Taylor prefers Rwandan jail to UK
14 October 2013
Ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor has asked to serve his 50-year sentence for war crimes in Rwanda, rather than the UK.
In a letter sent to the court that convicted him, he says it would be easier - and less expensive - for his family to visit him in Africa.
He also said he feared being attacked in a British prison.
Taylor was convicted of aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war.
Last week, a UK minister confirmed that Taylor would be transferred to a British prison.
He was convicted by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), but his trial was held in The Hague in case it sparked renewed unrest in West Africa.
The Netherlands only agreed to host the trial if he was imprisoned elsewhere.
'Own brand of justice'
In a letter seen by the BBC, Taylor wrote:
"My position is that serving my sentence in Rwanda, in my home continent of Africa, would be substantially more humane not only on my own account, but also on account of the impact on my family."
He noted that the court's statutes said access for prisoners' relatives should be taken into account when deciding where they should serve their sentence.
He said that it would be cheaper and easier to travel to Rwanda - and that Liberian nationals could obtain visas at the airport, unlike in the UK.......
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| toubab1020 |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 14:58:56
You have read my mind Momodou but one bright point out of all this...........What is that you may well ask..........It is that I strongly suspect that this vicious criminal will have his "board ,lodging,care,expenses etc" paid for by the UN,and as such will help pay for the debts that the UK faces through bank greed "quantitative easing", to you and I,printing money,so here again I think its about business and the root of all evil.....MONEY.One very apt quote I came across is this:
"The bottom line is that money, like technology, is spiritually neutral. It can be used for good or evil. God always deals with the heart and the motives of the use of money. If the motives are pure then the fruit can be very very good. Let's stop loving things and start loving people. That is the measure of true wealth!" |
| Momodou |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 14:40:46
Toubab, I agree with you. A British jail is going to be a luxurious place compared to one in Rwanda. I am afraid he might easily have contact with West Africans in the British jail to enable him to continue with some of his business than if he was sent to Rwanda.
Let's hope that he is not allowed to go on weekends after spending sometime like here in Denmark.
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| toubab1020 |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 13:31:09
Personally,I think that the offer from Rwanda should have been accepted. Anyone want to comment on THIS aspect of the topic ?
No? Ah well I did try to get something going ! |
| Momodou |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 13:21:07
Liberia's Charles Taylor to serve jail term in UK
BBC Online: 10 October 2013
 Ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor is to serve his 50-year war crimes sentence in the UK, Justice Minister Jeremy Wright has confirmed.
Sweden and Rwanda had also offered to imprison him following the rejection of his appeal last month by a UN-backed special court in The Hague.
It ruled that his convictions had been proved beyond doubt.
He was sentenced in May 2012 for aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war.
Because of fears his trial could spark renewed conflict in West Africa, it was moved from Sierra Leone to The Hague; and the UK at the time offered to jail him if convicted........
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| toubab1020 |
Posted - 26 Sep 2013 : 18:03:16
The conduct of this living thing has been totally inhuman.
Animals have their own built in lifestyle,the horrors inflicted on humans by Charles Taylor and those who were "only obeying orders" defies explanation in words,Charles Taylor must serve his prison sentence in FULL in a prison environment of NO FRILLS, basic needs of human existence only being catered for. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 26 Sep 2013 : 15:33:17
A story from AP Mobile:
By MIKE CORDER
Court upholds 50 years for Liberia's Taylor
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AP) - An international war crimes court on Thursday upheld the conviction and 50-year sentence of former Liberian President Charles Taylor for aiding rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone, saying his financial, material and tactical support made possible horrendous crimes against civilians.
The appeals chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone kept the 65-year-old Taylor's conviction on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including terrorism, murder, rape and using child soldiers.
Taylor's conviction in April 2012 was hailed as ushering in a new era of accountability for heads of state. He was the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II.
Wearing a black suit and a gold-colored tie, Taylor showed little emotion while Presiding Judge George Gelaga King read the unanimous verdict of the six-judge panel.
Prosecutor Brenda Hollis said the court's final ruling "affirms Taylor's criminal responsibility for grave crimes."
"He's caused untold suffering for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of victims in Sierra Leone," she said at a press conference after the ruling. "Today's judgment brings some measure of justice for those victims who suffered so horribly."
Others focused on the future impact of Thursday's decision.
"Taylor's conviction sends a powerful message that those at the top can be held to account on the gravest crimes," said Elise Keppler of Human Rights Watch.
Steven Rapp, the ambassador for war crimes issues at the U.S. Department of State and former prosecutor at the Sierra Leone court, said the ruling "sends a clear message to all the world, that when you commit crimes like this, it may not happen overnight, but there will be a day of reckoning."
The court found Taylor provided crucial aid to rebels in Sierra Leone during that country's 11-year civil war, which left an estimated 50,000 people dead before its conclusion in 2002.
Thousands more were left mutilated in a conflict that became known for its extreme cruelty, as rival rebel groups hacked off the limbs of their victims and carved their groups' initials into opponents. The rebels developed gruesome terms for the mutilations, offering victims the choice of "long sleeves" or "short sleeves" - having their hands hacked off or their arms sliced off above the elbow.
Memunatu Kamara, who had her left hand chopped off by rebels in 1999, had traveled to the court in the Netherlands to hear the appeals verdict. She said she felt ill when she first looked at Taylor but "when I saw him convicted, I was feeling good."
Taylor was convicted not only of aiding and abetting Sierra Leone rebels from his seat of power in neighboring Liberia, but also for actually planning some of the attacks carried out by two Sierra Leone rebel groups - the Revolutionary United Front and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. In return he was given "blood diamonds" mined by slave laborers in Sierra Leone and gained political influence in volatile West Africa.
Prosecuting Taylor proved how hard it is to bring leaders to justice. He fled into exile in Nigeria after being indicted in 2003 and wasn't arrested for three years. And while the Sierra Leone court is based in that country's capital, Taylor's trial was staged in the Netherlands for fear it could destabilize the region.
Arthur Saye, Charles Taylor's brother-in-law, who monitored the verdict on television from his shop in Paynesville, Liberia, said he was not surprised at the ruling.
"From day one, my position has been that the trial of Mr. Taylor was orchestrated by the powers that be - the Western powers," he told The Associated Press. "This was an international conspiracy; so I am not surprised or disappointed" by the verdict.
He added he had spoken by telephone to Taylor's wife Victoria, who is in the Netherlands.
"I thought she (would be) downhearted, but she was not," he said. "We are going to put our lives back together."
Taylor's lawyer Morris Anyah said outside the courtroom that Taylor himself was disappointed but "he has remained stoic and calm."
"He expressed his view that the next phase of life is to see how to preserve his contact with his family and ensure that his younger children are provided for," Anyah said.
In a development that could have a lasting impact on future war crimes cases, Thursday's ruling clashed with an appeals decision by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, in which former Serbian Gen. Momcilo Perisic was acquitted of aiding and abetting war crimes.
Judges at the ICTY said in order to aid and abet a crime, a suspect has to have "specifically directed" aid toward committing crimes.
But judges in the Taylor case openly disagreed with that. They said the key to guilt in aiding and abetting a crime is that a suspect's participation encouraged the commission of crimes and had a substantial effect on the crimes actually being committed - not the particular manner in which a suspect was involved.
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| Karamba |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 21:24:02
quote:
Originally posted by Karamba
After that brutal seizure of power by guns it was the treacherous Sierra Leone war that Yahya Jammeh relayed on Gambia TV to induce fear. Now that Taylor is benched this far, what is Jammeh waiting ? Many will tell you that Charles and Yahya shared Blood Diamond ties.
Now that his brother is settled by the law, will Jammeh brave the dock ?
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| Karamba |
Posted - 30 May 2012 : 22:29:05
day that other cruel leaders fall to the ground, those they have tormented will ever rejoice. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 30 May 2012 : 14:46:28
Victims of brutal war rejoice at Taylor sentencing
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) - Amputees who are still struggling to lead normal lives years after they were mutilated by the rebels backed by ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor, hailed the decision by judges at The Hague on Wednesday to sentence him to 50 years in prison. In a landmark ruling by the Special Court on Sierra Leone last month, the 64-year-old Taylor became the first former head of s...
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| Momodou |
Posted - 30 May 2012 : 12:25:20
Judges sentence Charles Taylor to 50 years
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Judges at an international war crimes court have sentenced former Liberian President Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison following his landmark conviction for supporting rebels in Sierra Leone who murdered and mutilated thousands during their country's brutal civil war in return for blood diamonds. The Special Court for Sierra Leone found Taylor guilty last month ...
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From BBC
Liberia ex-President Charles Taylor get 50 years in prison
30 May 2012
Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in jail by a UN-backed war crimes court.
Last month Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war.
Special Court for Sierra Leone judges said the sentence reflected his status as head of state at the time of the crimes and betrayal of public trust.
Taylor, 64, insists he is innocent and is likely to appeal against the sentence, correspondents say.
The appeal process could last up to six months, the BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague reports.
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| Momodou |
Posted - 16 May 2012 : 13:45:41
Charles Taylor says prosecution 'bought witnesses'
16 May 2012
Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor has accused the prosecution of paying witnesses to testify against him in his war crimes trial.
Taylor, who was found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes last month, was addressing judges at The Hague.
It was his last chance to speak at the international court before he is sentenced later this month.
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