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| |  | | Charles Taylor | | | context : | Sierra Leone  | | judgement place : | Sierra Leone Special Court | | status : | On trial | | particulars : | Trial before the SCSL in The Hague began on 4 June 2007; start of Defence case on 13 July 2009 | | position : | President of Liberia |
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| | | | Charles Taylor was born on 28 February 1948 in Arthington, Liberia. He completed his university studies in the United States, where he was arrested in 1979 for threatening to occupy the Liberian diplomatic mission in New York. He was President of Liberia between 1997 and 2003. His term in office was marked by rebellions and conflicts in the region.
The indictment issued by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) considered that during the period of the alleged facts (i.e. from 30 November 1996 onwards), a state of armed conflict existed in Sierra Leone, and that a link existed with the conflict in question and the counts of indictment constituting crimes under articles 2, 3 and 4 of the SCSL Statute.
According to the indictment, Charles Taylor met Foday Sankoh in Libya in the late 1980s, and immediately made common cause with him.
Taylor is said to have financed and supported Foday Sankoh's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) with material and personnel, providing weapons, ammunition and military training. With the aim of destabilizing the country and gaining access to the natural resources of Sierra Leone (mainly diamonds), he allegedly supported the RUF in the preparation of these military actions in Sierra Leone and during the ensuing conflict.
During the relevant period covered by the indictment, Charles Taylor allegedly encouraged and supported all the actions of the RUF and the AFRC (Armed Forces Revolutionary Council) alliance.
The RUF and AFRC, supported and encouraged by Charles Taylor, are said to have launched armed attacks within the territory of Sierra Leone, namely in the districts of Bo, Kono, Kenema, Bombali, Kailahun, and also in Freetown the capital. The targets of these attacks included the civilian population, humanitarian aid workers and United Nations peacekeeping forces. These attacks allegedly had as their main purpose to terrorize the civilian population and to punish it for the lack of support given to the RUF and the AFRC.
According to the indictment, the attacks were accompanied by murders, physical violence (especially mutilations and rape) against civilian men, women and children, as well as pillaging and the abduction of civilians as sexual slaves, forced labourers or to be enrolled by force (which was particularly the case for many children).
These acts were allegedly encouraged or executed with the collaboration of, or on order from, Charles Taylor.
Under pressure exerted by the international community, Charles Taylor relinquished power and resigned as President of Liberia on 11 August 2003. He was arrested on March 29, 2006 in Nigeria and transferred the same day to the SCSL. | |     click for more... | | Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty. | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Liberia | | | date of birth : | | | 28.01.1948 | | | last time seen : | | | The Hague (Netherlands) | | | period of charges : | | | 30.11.1996 | | | judgement period : | | | 04.06.2007 | | | charges : | | | Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 27.02.2010 |
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