Raw Video: Charles Taylor Sentencing in Full

May 30, 2012 from KTN Kenya

Former Liberian President Charles Ghankay Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for war crimes against humanity. Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the dark era of civil war that rocked neighbouring country of Sierra Leone. He was elected president in 1997 and ruled Liberia for six years before being forced into exile in Nigeria. He was given asylum in a bid to end Liberian civil war. He was judged at the Hague not by the International Criminal Court but by the Special Court for Sierra Leone founded in 2002.

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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

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

Liberia

Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa bordered by Sierra Leone to its west, Guinea to its north and Côte d'Ivoire to its east. It covers an area of 111,369 km² and is home to about 3.7 million people. English is the official language and over... 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

Child soldier

The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities, or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in propaganda. Thro... Explore this topic

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable o... Explore this topic

President of Liberia

The President of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and head of government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Prior to the independence of Liberia in 1847, executive power i... 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

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Charles Taylor

Special Court for Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

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Liberia's Charles Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison

France 24 | May 30

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor has been sentenced by a special United Nations court to 50 years in prison following his landmark convicti...