[JURIST] A US federal court Friday ordered a final judgment of $22 million against Charles Emmanuel “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr.” to be paid to 5 torture victims. Charles was charged with torture while he was in charge of Liberia’s Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU). The order issued by the judge outlined the multiple forms of torture; cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment; arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention to which the plaintiffs were subjected and recognizes the past, present and future physical and mental suffering those abuses inflicted. Human Rights USA, an organization that helped prosecute Taylor, said it hoped the award would “serve as a deterrent to others who believe they could mistreat fellow humans in this manner and never be held accountable.
Taylor is the son of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who is currently on trial before the Special Court for Sierra Leone sitting at The Hague. Taylor faces 11 counts of crimes against humanity, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and other violations of international humanitarian law stemming from a “campaign to terrorize the civilian population” of Sierra Leone.