Notorious warlord Charles Taylor is to serve his 50-year jail term in a British prison, ministers announced today.
The former president of Liberia was convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including terrorism, murder, rape and using child soldiers.
UK justice minister Jeremy Wright said today:
Convicted: Former Liberian president Charles Taylor, left, at the Special Court for Sierra Leone for his appeal judgment at The Hague today, where judges confirmed his 50-year sentence for crimes against humanity
The controversial decision to send Taylor to Britain could cost the taxpayer up to £80,000-a-year to keep him in in a maximum security prison.
Last month Taylor lost his appeal against his convictions, which made him the first former head of state convicted by an international court since Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders after the Second World War.
The court's ruling came more than a decade after Taylor helped rebels go on a murderous rampage across war-torn Sierra Leone, raping, murdering and mutilating tens of thousands of innocent victims.
Taylor had aided and abetted crimes committed by Revolutionary United Front and Armed Forces Revolutionary Council rebels, while knowing well the kinds of crimes they were committing.
Presiding Judge George Gelaga King said: 'Their primary purpose was to spread terror. Brutal violence was purposefully unleashed against civilians with the purpose of making them afraid, afraid that there would be more violence if they continued to resist.'
CONVICTED FOR BRUTAL ROLE IN CIVIL WAR WHICH LEFT 50,000 DEAD
Charles Taylor aided rebels in Sierra Leone during a brutal civil war in the 1990s which left 50,000 people dead.
Thousands more were left mutilated in the conflict that became known for the extreme cruelty of rival rebel groups who hacked off the limbs of their victims and carved their initials into opponents.
Taylor helped to plan attacks in return for 'blood diamonds' mined by slave labourers in Sierra Leone and political influence in the volatile West African region.
He was convicted not only of aiding and abetting Sierra Leone rebels from Liberia, but also for actually planning some of the attacks carried out by Sierra Leone rebel groups, the Revolutionary United Front and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council.
The trial opened in June 2007 in The Hague. Taylor boycotted the initial proceedings and dismissed his legal team.
He pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges.
Witness testimony began in January 2008, and ended in November 2010. Closing arguments took place in February and March 2011.
The court heard live testimony from over 90 prosecution witnesses, and received written statements from four additional witnesses. The defence presented 21 witnesses.
Court hearings included testimony from supermodel Naomi Campbell about a gift of diamonds from Taylor.
'Governments and the international community were also afraid that unless the RUF and the AFRC demands were met, thousands more killings, mutilations, abductions and rapes of civilians would follow.'
Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in jail in May last year, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) dismissed the appeal and confirmed the sentence on September 26 this year.
The head of the SCSL then requested that Taylor now be transferred to a prison in the UK to serve his sentence.
In a statement to MPs today, Justice minister Mr Wright said: 'The United Kingdom’s offer to enforce any sentence imposed on former President Taylor by the SCSL was crucial to ensuring that he could be transferred to The Hague to stand trial for his crimes.'
The International Tribunals (Sierra Leone) Act was backed by all parties in 2007 knowing it could mean Taylor would serve his sentence in the UK with the taxpayer picking up the bill, he said.
'International justice is central to foreign policy. It is essential for securing the rights of individuals and states, and for securing peace and reconciliation.
'The conviction of Charles Taylor is a landmark moment for international justice. It clearly demonstrates that those who commit atrocities will be held to account and that no matter their position they will not enjoy impunity.'
During Taylor's four-year initial trial, judges heard accounts from Sierra Leone civilians who had been mutilated by rebels or who had seen their close relatives murdered.
They also heard evidence from supermodel Naomi Campbell, who was questioned about blood diamonds Taylor was accused of having sent to her hotel room.
She described the objects she received as looking like 'dirty pebbles.'
The court found Taylor provided crucial aid to rebels in Sierra Leone during that country's 11-year civil war, which left an estimated 50,000 people dead before its conclusion in 2002.
Thousands more were left mutilated in a conflict that became known for its extreme cruelty, as rival rebel groups hacked off the limbs of their victims and carved their groups' initials into opponents.
The rebels developed gruesome terms for the mutilations, offering victims the choice of 'long sleeves' or 'short sleeves' - having their hands hacked off or their arms sliced off above the elbow.
Prosecutors said he used the proceeds from so-called blood diamonds mined in the conflict zone to finance Taylor's activities, which included advising and helping the rebels.
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