Charges made against Liberia's Taylor

The UN-backed Sierra Leone court has charged former warlord and ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor with crimes against humanity and other violations of international law committed within Sierra Leone by rebels he allegedly helped direct and arm between 1996 and 2002.

The original 17-count indictment from 2003 was amended on March 16 to combine certain charges and remove others specific to United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian aid workers.

Taylor now stands charged with overseeing or failing to prevent the following acts by Sierra Leone's brutal Revolutionary United Force rebels, broken down into 11 counts:

- Acts of terrorism: Terrorising the civilian population and meting out collective punishments, including widespread burning of property.

- Unlawful killings: Murder. The rebels allegedly killed civilians by shooting, burning people in their homes and by hacking them to death.

- Unlawful killings: Violence to life, health and physical or mental well-being, in particular murder, in violation of the Geneva convention.

- Sexual violence: Rape, often by multiple rapists.

- Sexual violence: Sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence.

- Sexual violence: Outrages upon personal dignity.

- Physical violence: Violence to people’s life, health and physical or mental well-being, in particular cruel treatment, in violation of the Geneva convention.

- Physical violence: Other inhuman acts. “Civilians were forced to watch as others were violently attacked and mutilated; many of those forced spectators were then similarly attacked and mutilated,” the indictment states.

- Use of child soldiers: Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 years into armed forces or groups, or using them to participate actively in hostilities.

- Abductions and forced labour: The rebels allegedly enslaved civilians, some for years, forcing them to work as domestic help and as diamond miners.

- Looting: “Civilian properties were routinely looted for items such as jewellery and other valuables, money and clothes,” according to the indictment.