12°c Light rain showers
7°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Taylor's 80-year sentence 'vindictive'
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands -- Defence lawyers for former Liberian President Charles Taylor said the recommendation by prosecutors he be imprisoned for 80 years is vindictive and excessive, according to a document released Friday.
Taylor has been convicted of 11 counts of aiding and abetting murderous rebels in Sierra Leone's civil war. Prosecutor Brenda Hollis last week said the lengthy sentence would "reflect the essential role Mr. Taylor played in crimes of such extreme scope and gravity." The court does not have the death penalty.
Defence lawyers said the recommendation is "manifestly disproportionate and excessive" for Taylor, who is 64.
In its written submission before a sentencing hearing next Wednesday, the defence team argued "an appropriate penalty would be a number of years which falls short of what would be in real terms a life sentence."
Taylor was convicted April 26 of providing key support, including arms and ammunition, to rebels in Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds" -- gems mined in conflict zones using slave labour. The rebels were notorious for hacking off hands or arms of their enemies to strike terror into communities.
His lawyers urged judges not to heap all the blame for Sierra Leone's deadly civil war on Taylor. The 11-year conflict ended in 2002 with more than 50,000 dead and many more survivors mutilated.
Taylor denied the charges throughout his lengthy trial and cast himself as a peacemaker and statesman in the West African region.
The brief, which will be discussed in court next week, also makes clear Taylor intends to appeal his convictions.
Judges are scheduled to pass sentence May 30. Taylor will serve his sentence in Britain.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 12, 2012 A29
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 13 articles for today)
Tornado flattens buildings near Oklahoma City
4:05 PM 0MOORE, Okla. - Video footage shows fires and flattened buildings after a tornado ripped through an area near Oklahoma City.
More ...
View Related
Poll
Most Popular World
- Footage shows fires, flattened buildings after tornado rips through area near Oklahoma City
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Thousands of military sex abuse victims seek disability, health care after leaving service
- SKorea analyzing if 4 projectiles North Korea launched were missiles or artillery
- Small Florida city wonders who hit historic $590.5M Powerball lottery jackpot
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Suspect in NYC bias shooting appears in court, charged with murder as a hate crime
- Gay man killed on street in New York
- South Africa's father figure: As frail Mandela fades, his image is still in political fray
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Footage shows fires, flattened buildings after tornado rips through area near Oklahoma City
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty after murder conviction in boyfriend killing
- Boston Marathon runners who couldn't finish because of blasts can return in 2014
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Parents of Boston suspect say he travelled to Russia to visit relatives, sleep a lot
- High school baseball team lifts car to free 16-year-old girl
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Man charged after overnight feast in closed Kentucky supermarket
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Lawyer: Saudi man travelling with pressure cooker didn't know device used in Boston bombings
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- 'Ring of fire' eclipse a delight Down Under
- Highly flammable gas acetylene explodes at W.Va. distributor; 2 workers injured
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- As killings for ivory grow, many Tanzanians see official hands in elephant slaughter
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Boston Marathon bombing suspect hospitalized under heavy guard; Boston area breathes easier
- Bill to alter rules of succession before Kate gives birth nears completion as Lords approve
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
- IBM makes movie about a little boy - a very little boy - by pushing molecules around
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.