This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/world/africa/charles-taylor-sierra-leone-war-crimes-case.html
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Court Upholds 50-Year Jail Term in Sierra Leone War Crimes Case | Court Upholds 50-Year Jail Term in Sierra Leone War Crimes Case |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| PARIS — A panel of appeals judges upheld a 50-year jail sentence on Thursday against Charles G. Taylor, the former president of Liberia, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in a case that had been cast as a watershed for modern human rights law. | PARIS — A panel of appeals judges upheld a 50-year jail sentence on Thursday against Charles G. Taylor, the former president of Liberia, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in a case that had been cast as a watershed for modern human rights law. |
| After a lengthy summing-up of appeals by the defense and the prosecution, the judges ruled that Mr. Taylor’s sentencing had been “fair and reasonable,” rejecting a prosecution appeal for his jail term to be extended to 80 years. | |
| Mr. Taylor was found guilty in April 2012 on all counts of an 11-count indictment alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to his role in aiding murderous rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. | Mr. Taylor was found guilty in April 2012 on all counts of an 11-count indictment alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to his role in aiding murderous rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. |
| He was accused of fomenting widespread brutality that included murder, rape, the use of child soldiers, the mutilation of thousands of civilians and the mining of diamonds to pay for guns and ammunition. | He was accused of fomenting widespread brutality that included murder, rape, the use of child soldiers, the mutilation of thousands of civilians and the mining of diamonds to pay for guns and ammunition. |
| In May 2012 he was sentenced to 50 years in prison — the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II. | In May 2012 he was sentenced to 50 years in prison — the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II. |
| After the reaffirmation of his conviction on Thursday, the hunt for Mr. Taylor’s suspected fortune could well resume. | |
| Under the tribunal’s rules, victims in Sierra Leone, particularly thousands who suffered during the attack in 1999 on Freetown, the Sierra Leone capital, are entitled to seek reparations in national courts. | |
| Experts believe these civil cases could go on for years because Mr. Taylor’s widely rumored assets have proved elusive. | |
| Investigators have succeeded in freezing $8 million held by his relatives and associates. | |
| But, according to court filings, the tribunal failed to discover the final destination of millions traced through Liberian and other banks while he was in power and the court’s investigators were unable to prove his presumed ownership in a number of companies. | |
| With Mr. Taylor claiming he was “partially indigent,” the nations that helped fund the tribunal — the United States was the largest donor — have had to cover his legal bills and the broader expenses of a trial that cost more than $20 million. | |
| The defense had appealed the verdict and sentence on 42 grounds, arguing that the Special Court on Sierra Leone had made “systematic errors in the evaluation of evidence and in the application of law” sufficiently serious to “reverse all findings of guilt entered against him,” the United Nations-backed tribunal said in a statement summing up the case. Defense lawyers also argued that the sentence was “manifestly unreasonable.” | |
| For its part, the prosecution said the sentence was not “reflective of the inherent gravity of the totality of his criminal conduct and overall culpability” and should be increased to 80 years. | For its part, the prosecution said the sentence was not “reflective of the inherent gravity of the totality of his criminal conduct and overall culpability” and should be increased to 80 years. |
| But after a detailed review of their findings, read out to the court, the panel upheld the bulk of the conclusions drawn by judges at his trial which lasted from 2007 to 2011. Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and pale gold tie, Mr. Taylor sat impassively through the 90-minute hearing that confirmed his sentence. | But after a detailed review of their findings, read out to the court, the panel upheld the bulk of the conclusions drawn by judges at his trial which lasted from 2007 to 2011. Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and pale gold tie, Mr. Taylor sat impassively through the 90-minute hearing that confirmed his sentence. |
| After discussions earlier in the trial, Mr. Taylor, 65, had been expected to serve his sentence in a British maximum security prison, but he is now seeking to be transferred to a jail in Rwanda. Given his age, he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. | After discussions earlier in the trial, Mr. Taylor, 65, had been expected to serve his sentence in a British maximum security prison, but he is now seeking to be transferred to a jail in Rwanda. Given his age, he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. |
| During weeks of testimony, Mr. Taylor said he had heard about atrocities in Sierra Leone but that he would “never, ever” have permitted them. | During weeks of testimony, Mr. Taylor said he had heard about atrocities in Sierra Leone but that he would “never, ever” have permitted them. |
| But the presiding judge at the appeals hearing on Thursday, George Gelaga King, who is from Sierra Leone, said Mr. Taylor had been fully aware of the crimes being committed by rebel groups he advised and encouraged. | But the presiding judge at the appeals hearing on Thursday, George Gelaga King, who is from Sierra Leone, said Mr. Taylor had been fully aware of the crimes being committed by rebel groups he advised and encouraged. |
| “Their primary purpose was to spread terror. Brutal violence was purposely unleashed against civilians with the purpose of making them afraid, afraid that there would be more violence if they continued to resist,” Judge King said. | “Their primary purpose was to spread terror. Brutal violence was purposely unleashed against civilians with the purpose of making them afraid, afraid that there would be more violence if they continued to resist,” Judge King said. |
Marlise Simons reported from Paris, and Alan Cowell from London. | Marlise Simons reported from Paris, and Alan Cowell from London. |