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abujagirl
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An international war crimes court on Thursday upheld the conviction and 50-year sentence of former Liberian president Charles Taylor for aiding rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone, saying his financial, material and tactical support made possible horrendous crimes against civilians.
According to BBC News, Taylor appeared impassive in court as the judge upheld his convictions and 50-year sentence. He was sentenced in May 2012 for aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war.
His lawyers had argued that there were legal errors during his trial.
Taylor is expected to serve his sentence in Britain, although Sweden and Rwandan prisons are also open to accepting him. He is the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II.
Steven Rapp, ambassador for war crimes issues at the US Department of State and former Prosecutor at the Sierra Leone court said the ruling "sends a clear message to all the world, that when you commit crimes like this, it may not happen overnight, but there will be a day of reckoning."
