Former Liberian President Charles Taylor Pleads for Leniency

May 16, 2012 from VOA News

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor spoke in his own defense on Wednesday as judges hear oral arguments in the sentencing phase of his war crimes trial. Taylor was convicted last month, and prosecutors are seeking an 80-year sentence in a maximum security prison. The sentence is expected to come in late May. Co-hosts Ndimyake Mwakalyelye and Vincent Makori report.

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Charles Taylor

Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor is a former Liberian politician who was the 22nd President of Liberia, serving from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003. Born in Arthington, Montserrado County, Liberia, Taylor earned a degree at Bentley College in the United S... Explore this topic

Special Court for Sierra Leone

The Special Court for Sierra Leone, otherwise called the "Special Court" or the SCSL, is a judicial body set up by the government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations to "prosecute persons who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitar... Explore this topic

The Hague

เดอะเฮก หรือ กรุงเฮก หรือชื่อทางการภาษาดัตช์คือ สกราเวนฮาเกอ เป็นเมืองหลวงของจังหวัดเซาท์ฮอลแลนด์ ประเทศเนเธอร์แลนด์ เมืองมีประชากร 500,000 คน กรุงเฮก เป็นเมืองใหญ่เป็นอันดับ 3 รองจากกรุงอัมสเตอร์ดัมและรอตเทอร์ดาม ตั้งอยู่ทางตะวันตกของประเทศ มีอุตสาหกรรมแปรรูปอาหารและการพิมพ์ ... Explore this topic

War Crime

A war crime is a serious violation of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility. Examples of war crimes include "murder, the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied territory to slave labor camps," "the mu... Explore this topic

Sentence

A sentence is a decree of punishment. In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a... Explore this topic

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa that is bordered by Guinea to the northeast, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. Sierra Leone is a Constitutional Republic with a directly elected president and a ... Explore this topic

Sierra Leone Civil War

The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front, with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia, intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. The resulting... Explore this topic

Voice of America

Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA provides a wide range of programming for b... Explore this topic

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Charles Taylor

Special Court for Sierra Leone

The Hague

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