Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years

Charles Taylor
Liberian Presidential candidate and warlord Charles Taylor arrives at a polling center before voting Saturday July 19, 1997. Taylor took a seemingly insurmountable lead Monday July 21st with more than a third of presidential ballots counted, but his chief rival complained of widespread voting fraud. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

International judges sentenced former Liberian President Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison on May 30, saying he was responsible for "some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history" by arming and supporting Sierra Leone rebels in return for "blood diamonds."