FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The Special Court for Sierra Leone has denied former Liberian President Charles Taylor’s request to serve his 50-year war crimes sentence in Rwanda, rather than Britain.
Taylor was convicted in April 2012 of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for aiding murderous rebels in Sierra Leone’s 11-year civil war. He began serving his sentence in Britain in October 2013.
He has since requested that he be moved to Rwanda, arguing that detention in Britain violates his rights because the visa process will make it nearly impossible for his family to visit. He also complained about the conditions of his detention.
The court denied his request in a decision made public Wednesday, saying Britain’s denial of his family’s visa application did not violate his rights. It said that his wife simply had not met visa requirements and had ignored offers to help her to reapply. It also said that it found no problems with his conditions.
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