U.K. To Jail Taylor If Convicted For War Crimes
Nji Che - All Headline News Contributor London, England (AHN) - British government officials say the U.K. is ready to jail former Liberian president, Charles Taylor if the International Court of Justice convicts the former rebel leader for war crimes. The news came after other European Union member countries declined to host Taylor during a possible jail term. Taylor has already denied 11 war crimes charges. A BBC news report quoted British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett saying, "I was delighted to be able to respond positively to the request of the United Nations Secretary General, that, should he be convicted, Charles Taylor serves his sentence in the UK." Taylor who was held at the border between Nigeria and Cameroon was immediately transferred to Liberia. He is currently held by a U.N.-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone. The U.N. body has requested that Taylor be moved to a more secure prison site. Speaking after the announcement, UK's minister for Africa told Reuters, "We believe that this is a really strong - probably the strongest signal you could send anywhere in Africa - that there is no impunity, that major criminals will be brought to justice and if they are sentenced they will serve their time."
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