The British government said on Thursday that it was willing to jail former Liberian president Charles Taylor if he is convicted of war crimes.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said that the decision, which breaks an impasse that has stalled Taylor’s trial, demonstrated ”through concrete action the United Kingdom’s commitment to international justice”.
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is awaiting trial before a United Nations-backed war-crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone for allegedly funding rebels that hacked off people’s limbs and burned villages during Sierra Leone’s civil war.
The Sierra Leone court, however, has asked The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court to host the trial, fearing his trial in African territory might revive regional instability. The Netherlands has agreed — on condition a third country agrees to jail Taylor if he is convicted. So far, Denmark, Austria and Sweden have rejected requests to jail Taylor. — Sapa-AP