Special Court for Sierra Leone - Charles Taylor judgment – Statement by Alain Juppé, Ministre d' Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

PARIS, France, April 30, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Charles Taylor was today found guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes by the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

This judgment has universal significance: for a former dictator to be found guilty of such crimes is a historic precedent, which France welcomes.

It is time for dictators the world over, and their accomplices, to understand that they cannot get away with committing such acts, which shock the conscience of mankind, and that they will have to answer for them. This is one of the main missions of international criminal courts.

This judgment must contribute to the process of reconciliation already under way and to strengthening stability in Sierra Leone.