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2019.12.07 02:03 GMT+8

U.K. court drops torture charges against ex-wife of Liberia's Taylor

Updated 2019.12.07 02:03 GMT+8
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A U.K. court on Friday dismissed torture charges against the ex-wife of former Liberian President Chares Taylor.

Agnes Reeves Taylor was arrested in 2017 by the war crimes unit of London's Metropolitan Police and charged with participating in torture in 1990, during the West African country's bloody civil war.

She denied the charges and had been due to stand for trial in January 2020.

But Judge Nigel Sweeney dismissed the charges Friday, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the alleged crimes were committed in areas controlled by Taylor's government.

Reeves Taylor, who has been held for more than two years, will now be freed even though she has not been formally acquitted.

Reeves Taylor, 54, is a former university lecturer and was previously married to Charles Taylor, who was Liberia's president between 1997 and 2003.

Charles Taylor was convicted in The Hague in 2012 of war crimes including murder, rape and using child soldiers. He is serving his 50-year prison sentence in Britain.

Source(s): AP
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