What was Taylor war crimes Prosecutor’s mission to Liberia?
The Prosecutor of the UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has ended a mission to Liberia, less than two weeks after ex-President Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison for aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity in that neighbouring country.
Over 50,000 people were killed in that war, while thousands of others were wounded, many of whom had their hands or legs systematically amputated by the former RUF rebels Taylor backed. But the former Liberian leader denied all of the 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity he has been convicted for.
Ms Brenda Hollis, who had earlier called for 80 years prison sentence, met with a cross section of Liberians.
As part of her outreach mission, the Special Court Prosecutor, who wanted an 80 years sentence for Taylor, addressed a special edition of the Edward Wilmot Blyden forum organized by the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) in Monrovia.
A local daily, FrontpageAfrica reported this week that Hollis was jeered during an earlier visit to Liberia’s central city of Gbarnga, which once served as headquarters of Taylor’s defunct National Patriotic Front (NPFL) rebel movement.
The forum brought together civil society actors and Liberians of diversed backgrounds.
WADR’s Monrovia Correspondent William Selmah attended the forum and he now reports in which she explains the purpose of her mission to Taylor’s home country.
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