Former Liberian president Charles Taylor 64, has been convicted today (Thursday) of arming rebels during Sierra Leone’s civil war in return for blood diamonds.
In the first judgement, Taylor was found guilty of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
“The trial chamber finds you guilty of aiding and abetting of all these crimes,” said presiding judge Richard Lussick.
“The chamber finds beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is criminally responsible for aiding and abetting in the commission of crimes one to 11 in the indictment,” Lussick said at the court, based just outside The Hague.
During the verdict, Charles Taylor stood motionless and showed no emotion afterwards.
He will be sentenced by the same court on May 30.
If sentenced to jail, Taylor will be held in a British prison.
Earlier the Samoan judge Lussick said: “The trial chamber found that the accused was instrumental in procuring and transporting arms to (Sierra Leone’s) RUF rebels, that he was paid in diamonds and kept some for himself.”
Taylor, was convicted on all counts against him including acts of terrorism, murder and rape, committed by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, who waged a terror campaign during acivil war that claimed 120,000 lives between 1991 and 2001.
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