The sentencing of former Liberian president Charles Taylor to 50 years imprisonment for war crimes was watched by hundreds back in Sierra Leone.
The landmark judgement by the court in The Hague had been long awaited by those who had suffered from the brutal tactics of the rebels Taylor has sponsored.
Amputations rape and murder had been all too common.
Victim of war crimes Samuel Contheh said: “So, as you know the arm of the law is long, I know that Charles Taylor cannot escape justice and today he has received what is called justice.”
Both Liberia from where Taylor had as president sponsored the rampaging RUF rebels and Sierra Leone which had borne their excesses want to move on.
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma told a rally: “ Sierra Leone and Liberia are transformed. the two countries are changing now to become better countries.”
The sentence has set a precedent for an international justice system aimed at deterring future war crimes. Pending any appeal, 64-year-old Taylor will be spend the rest of life at a high security prison in Britain
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