Verdict in Charles Taylor case

The Special Court for Sierra Leone pronounced judgment today in the case against former Liberian President Charles Taylor. “This is the first time since the Nuremberg trials that a former head of state has been convicted by an international court. The judgment is an important milestone in the effort to combat impunity for the most serious international crimes,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. 

The court found unanimously that Charles Taylor was guilty of having aided and abetted war crimes and crimes against humanity and of other serious violations against international humanitarian law in Sierra Leone in the period 1996–2002. The judgment is not final and may be appealed. 

The case against Charles Taylor is the Special Court’s last major case connected with the decade-long civil war in Sierra Leona. 

“With today’s verdict, the Special Court for Sierra Leone is on the way to being the first of the modern-day international criminal courts to complete its mandate,” said Mr Støre.