 |
| Sir Charles Taylor, Ex-Liberian President |
Former Liberian president
Charles Taylor has asked the ICC to allow him serve his 50 yr jail term in
Rwanda rather than the UK. In a letter addressed to the United Kingdom, Taylor
says it would be much cheaper and easier for his family members and friends to
visit him in Africa, as compared to UK. Furthermore, he expressed his fears of
being attacked in a British prison.
Taylor was arrested and
convicted of assisting rebels who violated human rights in Sierra Leone during
the civil war.
A week ago, a UK
official ascertained that Taylor would be ferried to a British prison.
Taylor aged 65 yrs, was
convicted on eleven crimes including murder, rape, use of child soldiers by
rebel groups and terrorism during 1991-2002 civil war, which saw approximately
50,000 people dead.
The prosecution found
out that Taylor had played a role in the supply of weapons to the Revolutionary
United Front( RUF) in exchange of the blood diamonds.
Despite his conviction,Taylor has always maintained his innocence, claiming that he was only in
contact with the rebel groups trying to woo them to stop the fights. History
has it that he, Charles Taylor, is the first former African president to be convicted
by ICC since world war two.
Taylor timeline at a
glance
Year Event
1989: Mr. Taylor launched a
rebellion in Liberia
1991: The RUF rebellion starts
in Sierra Leone
1997: Charles Taylor elected president
after a 1995 peace deal
1999: Revolutionaries take up
arms against Taylor
June 2003: Arrest authorization issued. Two months later he bow out of power and goes to
Nigeria as an expatriate
March 2006: Arrested
and sent to Sierra Leone
June 2007: His trial opens - hosted in The Hague for
security reasons
April 2012: Jailed and Convicted of aiding
war crimes – later he is sentenced to 50 year jail term.
0 comments:
Post a Comment