10.5 C
London
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Torture charges against former Liberia leader’s ex-wife dismissed

General News of Friday, 6 December 2019

Source: bbc.com

2019-12-06

Agnes Taylor (far right)Agnes Taylor (far right)

A judge in London has cut short the war crimes trial of Agnes Reeves Taylor – the ex-wife of the former Liberian president Charles Taylor – on technical grounds.

Dr Reeves-Taylor won her appeal against charges of torture, which she denies, because of a lack of evidence that the regime led by her ex-husband controlled the areas where her alleged crimes occurred.

She faced eight charges relating to Liberia’s civil war in 1990, including torturing a teenage boy, forcing a pastor’s wife to witness her children being shot, and facilitating the rape of captive women by soldiers.

A BBC correspondent says the judge’s finding does not mean she was not guilty.

Dr Reeves-Taylor was ordered released from prison, but told she could not remain in Britain.

Charles Taylor himself is serving a life sentence for his war crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Latest news

Related news