Charles TaylorThe former President-for-Life of Liberia, of whom the best that could be said was that he wasn't quite as horrible as Prince Johnson, at least not usually.
to 50 years prison following his landmark conviction for supporting rebels in Sierra Leone who murdered and mutilated thousands during their country's brutal civil war. He has always insisted he is innocent of the crimes.
The sentence follows last month's verdict that found Taylor guilty on 11 counts, relating to atrocities that included rape and murder. He was charged with aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war. The prosecution at the Special Court for Sierra Leone wanted an 80-year prison term, which the defence said was excessive.
Taylor, 64, insists he is innocent of the crimes that during the sentencing Judge Richard Lussick said were the most heinous in human history. He likely to appeal the sentence. An appeal process could last up to six months.
Charles Taylor a great friend of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Qadaffy,...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...
is the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremburg trials of Nazis after World War II.
His trial, that eventually convicted him of the crimes he was charged with, opened five years ago, in June 2007 in The Hague. He had become President in 1995 after a rebellion and in 2003 an arrest warrant was issued for him. Two months later he stepped down and went into exile to Nigeria. He was tossed in the calaboose
You have the right to remain silent...
in March 2006.
Taylor reportedly accused the prosecution of paying and threatening witnesses in his war crimes trial, and also told the judges to consider his age when making their decision, saying he was "no threat to society".
When requesting a sentence of 80 years jail for him, the prosecution said such a sentence would reflect the severity of the crimes and the central role that Taylor.
Prosecutor Brenda Hollis had said that, "the purposely cruel and savage crimes committed (by Taylor) included public executions and amputations of civilians, the display of decapitated heads at checkpoints... public rapes of women and girls, and people burned alive in their homes," wrote.
During the Sierra Leone civil war, Taylor supported Revolutionary United Front rebels who killed tens of thousands of people. The war crimes included murder, rape, the use of child soldiers and the amputation of limbs.