Former President of Liberia Charles Taylor was today found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes by the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, Netherlands. Taylor was acquitted of actually ordering the offences or being part of a joint enterprise to conduct them. A school destroyed by RUF rebels. The eleven-count indictment produced a four-year trial that heard allegations of , murder,  , cannibalism, arms dealing, trade, and use of . Prosecution witnesses totalled 94 whilst the defence had 21 including the accused. Taylor spent his seven months of evidence claiming he was a peacemaker. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International welcomed the verdict, which is the first conviction of a head of state before an international court since the prosecuted Nazi leaders after  . was convicted after he took brief control of Germany in the aftermath of 's suicide. The Netherlands agreed the process could be held there on the condition Taylor did not serve sentence there if convicted. He is expected to be sent to the UK, where has promised to uphold an agreement to imprison him there made by ex-Foreign Secretary  .
Former President of Liberia Charles Taylor was today found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes by the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, Netherlands. Taylor was acquitted of actually ordering the offences or being part of a joint enterprise to conduct them. A school destroyed by RUF rebels. The eleven-count indictment produced a four-year trial that heard allegations of , murder, sexual slavery , cannibalism, arms dealing, trade, and use of . Prosecution witnesses totalled 94 whilst the defence had 21 including the accused. Taylor spent his seven months of evidence claiming he was a peacemaker. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International welcomed the verdict, which is the first conviction of a head of state before an international court since the prosecuted Nazi leaders after World War Two . was convicted after he took brief control of Germany in the aftermath of 's suicide. The Netherlands agreed the process could be held there on the condition Taylor did not serve sentence there if convicted. He is expected to be sent to the UK, where has promised to uphold an agreement to imprison him there made by ex-Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett .
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sexual slavery
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World War Two
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Margaret Beckett