Taylor has been the first vice chairman of the State Council since 1995. After the civil war officially ended, Taylor won the presidential election in 1997 and reached the peak of power.
Taylor disbanded the former Liberian army from February 1997 to October 1998, and demobilized 2,4 to 2,6 former soldiers, most of whom were former President Doe. At the same time, he organized a special organization "Anti-Terrorist Force" and a special security bureau to protect the President within the Liberian National Police. After his election, Liberia was not at peace. During his reign, he constantly fought against rebel groups. In 23, about 6% of the country was controlled by rebel groups. Since 1999, a rebel group against Taylor has formed in northern Liberia, calling itself Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. This organization is often accused of atrocities and is suspected of being supported by neighboring Guinea.
In early p>23, another rebel movement for democracy in Liberia, supported by C? te d 'Ivoire, appeared in southern Liberia and developed rapidly. In the summer of 23, Taylor's government controlled only one third of the central part of the country.
On March 7, 23, the Special Court for Sierra Leone charged Taylor with crimes against humanity. In the same year, Taylor ordered the Liberian army to kill Sam Boucary, one of the leaders of the Sierra Leonean Revolutionary United Front. Some people say that Taylor killed him to prevent him from testifying in the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
In June p>23, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Taylor, accusing Taylor of founding and supporting the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone and committing many atrocities, including the use of child soldiers. Taylor was on an official visit to Ghana when the arrest warrant was issued. With the support of South African President Thabo Mbeki, despite Sierra Leone's request, Ghanaian President Kufuor refused to detain Taylor, but sent him back to Monrovia. In June 23, the US Congress decided to award Taylor $2 million. The peace agreement in Liberia guarantees Taylor safe refuge in Nigeria, but at the same time requires him not to try to influence Liberian politics. His critics say he violated this condition. 65438+On February 4th, Interpol issued a "red wanted order", claiming that any country has the right to arrest him according to international law. Taylor was included in the Interpol arrest warrant and was marked as a potentially dangerous person. He was charged with "crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Agreement of 1949". Nigeria, which provided shelter for Taylor, initially indicated that it would not yield to Interpol's orders. Later, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said that if Liberia wanted to try former President Taylor for war crimes, Nigeria was willing to hand Taylor over to Liberia.
On March 6-7, 26, the newly elected President of Liberia, Ellen. Johnson. Sirleaf formally asked Nigeria to extradite Taylor. On March 25th, it was decided to hand Taylor over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Taylor was not extradited to Liberia because there was no extradition treaty between Nigeria and Liberia. On March 29th, 26, Taylor tried to escape into Cameroon, but was arrested by Nigerian guards at the border.
In March p>26, at the strong demand of UN President Kofi Annan and the international community, the Nigerian government decided to send him back to Libya. Taylor disappeared from his exile residence in Nigeria on the evening of 27th, and was arrested by Nigerian police on his way to Cameroon the next day and sent back to China. On the same day, the Government of Liberia handed him over to the Special Court for Sierra Leone. In April 26, the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone conducted Taylor's first trial. Taylor's trial in Sierra Leone was later moved to The Hague, the Netherlands, for fear that it might lead to civil strife in many countries in West Africa.
On June 4th, 27, Taylor was tried by the International Military Tribunal in The Hague for the first time. Taylor was accused of supporting the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), an anti-government armed force, during the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 199s, and providing weapons and military funds in exchange for diamonds. He faces 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity (including cannibalism), but Taylor completely denies these charges.
On June 7th, 28, 65438+, the second trial continued in The Hague Military Court, facing the prosecution witness for the first time. Before the reopening of the court, the United Nations had found 144 witnesses who accused Taylor of crimes. On October 9, 65438, Taylor appeared in court again. When Taylor was in office, he was an important senior security official responsible for protecting the presidential motorcade and official residence. On the same day, he testified that Taylor had been secretly providing weapons, ammunition and financial support to the Sierra Leone rebel Revolutionary United Front.
On 9 August p>21, the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone began the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who was accused of inciting murder, rape and terrorism during the civil war in Sierra Leone.
On May 3, 212, he was found guilty of 11 crimes, including murder, rape and forcing children to be soldiers, and was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment. He was the first former head of state to be sentenced by an international court since 1946. After the judgment of the first instance, Taylor appealed.
On September 26th, 213, The Hague Court of Appeal upheld the original judgment, and the former Liberian President faced 5 years' imprisonment. Throughout the sentencing process, Taylor was expressionless. Taylor committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by helping the rebels in the civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. This is the first head of state or former head of state convicted by the International Court of Justice since the German Nazi war criminals were tried by the International Court of Justice at the end of World War II. On October 15, 213, former Liberian President Charles Taylor arrived in Britain and was about to begin serving his sentence. In May 212, Taylor was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment for war crimes by the United Nations Special Court in The Hague. Taylor provided weapons to the rebels in order to win the reward of "blood diamonds" in Sierra Leone's civil war. He also became the first former head of state to be sentenced and sentenced by an international court after World War II.
The United Nations Special Court said that Taylor flew from the Netherlands to Britain by special plane on Tuesday. After Dante's plane arrived in England, he was handed over to the British prison representative. Jeremy White, a senior official of the British judiciary, said Taylor's sentence was a major milestone in international law.
Charles Taylor, aged 65, was the 22nd President of Liberia from 1997 to August 11th, 23. On May 3, 212, he was convicted by the United Nations Special Court on 11 counts, including terrorism, rape and murder. The conflict killed 5 thousand people.
Taylor has always insisted that he is innocent. On 26 September 213, The Hague Court of Appeal upheld the original judgment. Taylor asked the United Nations Special Court to allow him to serve his sentence in Uganda.
In April p>26, Taylor was tried for the first time by the United Nations Special Court, and the venue of the trial was moved to The Hague, the Netherlands, for fear that Taylor's trial in Sierra Leone might trigger civil strife in many countries in West Africa. At that time, the British government proposed that if Taylor was found guilty, he would be held in a British prison.
This is not the first time that Britain has imprisoned foreigners convicted of war crimes. Britain also proposed to imprison former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, but Milosevic died during his trial.
The United Nations Special Court explained that Taylor will serve his 5-year sentence in Britain, because he was detained during his trial in 26, which will offset part of his sentence.