Sierra Leone: War Crimes Court Rules Charles Taylor Can Be Tried

An appeals panel of the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has ruled that former Liberian President Charles Taylor is not immune from prosecution for war crimes. Attorneys for Taylor had argued that the court overstepped its bounds by indicting the head of state of another country. Four appellate judges, however, ruled that because the court is an international tribunal, it does have that authority. "We hold that the official position of the applicant as an incumbent head of state at the time when these criminal proceedings were initiated against him is not a bar to his prosecution by this court," said a statement read by the court president, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola.