Charles Taylor

Charles Taylor is a Liberian politician and former warlord who served as Liberia’s president from 1997 to 2003. He was convicted by an international tribunal for aiding and abetting war crimes in Sierra Leone.

Samuel Doe: Samuel Doe was a Liberian military leader who ruled Liberia from 1980 until his overthrow and killing in 1990. Taylor entered government under Doe, then fled Liberia after being accused of embezzlement.
1997 Liberian general election: The election that made Charles Taylor president of Liberia after the First Liberian Civil War. Taylor won amid widespread hopes that his victory would prevent renewed fighting.
Sierra Leone Civil War: An armed conflict fought in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002 between the government and rebel forces. Taylor’s backing of the RUF helped extend and intensify this neighboring war.
Charles Taylor trial: The Special Court for Sierra Leone trial that convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor in 2012. The proceedings tested whether Taylor’s support for Sierra Leonean rebels made him criminally responsible.
1980 Liberian coup d'état: A military coup led by Samuel Doe that overthrew Liberia’s government and ended the rule of the True Whig Party. The coup brought Doe to power and shaped the regime Taylor later opposed.
Liberian government under Charles Taylor: The Liberian administration led by Charles Taylor from 1997 until his resignation in 2003. Its security forces and patronage networks sustained Taylor’s rule while opposition grew.
Special Court for Sierra Leone: A hybrid international tribunal established to prosecute people bearing the greatest responsibility for serious crimes in Sierra Leone’s war. The court indicted Taylor and ultimately tried him for his support of Sierra Leonean rebels.
Charles Taylor verdict: The 2012 judgment finding Charles Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting crimes committed by Sierra Leonean rebels. The verdict established his criminal responsibility without finding that he commanded the rebels.
First Liberian Civil War: Liberia’s 1989–1997 civil war among government forces and armed factions that devastated the country. Taylor’s insurgency became the conflict’s dominant force and helped make him president.
Revolutionary United Front: A Sierra Leonean rebel group that fought the government during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Taylor supported the RUF, linking his Liberian government to violence across the border.

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