Victims of the bloody regime of Liberian warlord Charles Taylor spoke of their reduction after his 50-year jail time period for struggle crimes and crimes towards humanity in Sierra Leone was upheld by a global court docket on Thursday.
The last verdict handed down by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) attracts a line beneath a seven-year trial of the 65-year-old former Liberian president, sentenced in May final 12 months for “some of the most heinous crimes in human history”.
“As a government, we believe that justice has been done and impunity is over,” Sierra Leone authorities spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay acknowledged.
“The message for sitting heads of state not solely in Africa however past is that when you're in energy you could train it judiciously, have respect for the rule of regulation and human rights and uphold the dignity of others.”
Around 100 individuals, together with human rights activists and survivors of the Sierra Leone civil struggle, watched a reside broadcast of the ruling within the capital Freetown.
For Sullay Turay, who misplaced a hand and a foot to Taylor-backed rebels, the result “showed that no matter what you do, justice will finally catch up with you and this is what has happened in Taylor’s case.”
The former warlord, who was jailed initially for 50 years for arming rebels throughout Sierra Leone’s brutal 1990s civil struggle, is more likely to spend the remainder of his life behind bars, presumably in a British jail. He sparked a 13-year civil struggle in his personal nation when he led a riot in 1989 to oust President Samuel Doe which deteriorated into considered one of Africa’s bloodiest conflicts.
His National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) earned a fame for excessive violence, conscripting youngster troopers and terrorising residents of sure ethnic teams.
After taking Monrovia, Taylor was elected president in 1997, however violence once more erupted in 1999 when one other riot began and he misplaced management of a lot of the nation, fleeing in 2003 to Nigeria. The conflicts resulted in 270,000 deaths, with many civilians displaced and a number of other thousand changing into victims of atrocities, in response to the United Nations.
As Liberia’s president from 1997 to 2003, Taylor supported Revolutionary United Front rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone by supplying them with weapons and ammunition as they waged a marketing campaign of terror throughout a civil struggle that claimed 120,000 lives between 1991 and 2002.
‘Let Taylor rot in jail’ He was lastly arrested and transferred to The Hague in 2006, the place he was convicted in 2012 of aiding and abetting the rebels in the course of the battle, recognized for its mutilations, drugged youngster troopers and s3x slaves, trial judges discovered.
“Full justice has now been done and the victims should move on with their lives. The violations they suffered have been addressed through the judicial process,” acknowledged.Ibrahim Tommy, chairman of the Centre for Accountability and the Rule of Law marketing campaign group.
“The government now should work to strengthen the justice system and work for the socio-economic prosperity of the victims.”
Some victims of the battle stay bitter and voiced frustration that Taylor had not obtained the 80-year sentence requested by the prosecution.
“Let Taylor rot in jail. I only wish he would have served his sentence in an African prison to suffer the more,” acknowledged.Freetown taxi driver Andrew Lebbie.
But there was additionally a word of reconciliation among the many crowd gathered for the ruling in Freetown. “Forgiveness is all I would ask for. The court should have tempered justice with mercy,” acknowledged.vicar Sam Fergusson.
Taylor has solely ever been tried for his half in Sierra Leone’s bloody historical past and Amnesty International known as for justice for the Liberian individuals for human rights violations and struggle crimes dedicated throughout its personal battle.
“All parties to the conflict committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murders, torture, rape and other crimes of s3xual violence, abductions, and the recruitment and use of child soldiers,” acknowledged.Stephanie Barbour, head of Amnesty’s Centre for International Justice in The Hague. The Liberian authorities welcomed the decision.
“We hope that as he serves his jail sentence he will be treated in line with the law,” acknowledged.deputy info minister Isaac Jackson.