Ex-Liberian Prez gets 50 years in jail

Liberia’s ex-president Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in jail by a UN-backed war crimes court Wednesday for aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war.

Liberia’s ex-president Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in jail by a UN-backed war crimes court Wednesday for aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war.

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Special Court for Sierra Leone judges here said the sentence reflected Taylor’s status as head of state at the time and his betrayal of public trust, BBC reporetd. He was found guilty last month.

While sentencing, judge Richard Lussick described the crimes in Sierra Leone as some of the most heinous in human history. The prosecution had sought a 80-year term. The judge, however, found it excessive — considering the limited scope of his involvement in planning operations in Sierra Leone.