From Sierra Leone, it was gathered that Special Court sitting in the country have upheld the 50-year sentence of former Liberian President Charles Taylor after his landmark conviction for aiding murderous rebels in Sierra Leone’s civil war.

Taylor, 65, was convicted in May 2012 for crimes that included terrorism, murder, rape and using child soldiers.

During his trial, prosecution had sought an 80-year jail term, but charges that Taylor had directly ordered massacres could not be verified.

According to Taylor’s lawyer, there are what he referred to as  "systematic errors" in the analysis of evidence and claimed that the case against Taylor relied on "uncorroborated hearsay evidence as the sole basis for specific incriminating findings of fact."

Taylor's advocates also accused the court of a "miscarriage of justice" and claimed that he "never stood a chance" in a tribunal that practiced a "one size fits all form of international justice."