Did Donald Trump Order Release of Liberia’s Ex-President Charles Taylor? Fact Emerges
- Donald Trump has issued several executive orders since he resumed office as the 47th president of the United States
- A Facebook user identified as Junior Duo posted on FRIES FM, claiming that one of the orders included the release of the former Liberian president, Charles Taylor
- Due to its virality and sensitivity, the claim was fact-checked to set the record straight
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Former Liberian president and warlord Charles G Taylor was sentenced in 2012 to 50 years imprisonment by a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague after war crime allegations were levelled against him.
The former president was accused of supporting rebels from 1996 to 2002 which eventually fuelled the crisis in the neighbouring country, Sierra Leone. The list of the offences he was convicted of included sexual slavery, murder, enforced amputations, r@pe, pillage and recruitment of child soldiers.
Source: Getty Images
Why Charles Taylor was jailed in UK
According to The Guardian, the judge held that the ex-president's role in the war was “utmost gravity in scale and brutality.” Taylor was then jailed in the United Kingdom at the call of the British government
However, a Facebook user identified as Junior Duo posted on FRIES FM, claiming that Donald Trump, the new president of the United States, ordered the release of the former Liberian president. His post reads:
“US President Donald Trump has released an order to free former President Charles Taylor.”
Findings by Dubawa, a fact-checking organisation, showed none of the executive orders issued by Donald Trump since his inauguration on January 20, 2025, have been directed towards or mentioned the release of former President Charles Taylor.
Further checks also showed that no international news platform reported any such order from Donald Trump regarding Taylor’s release
Why Trump can't order Taylor's release
More so, Taylor is under the jurisdiction of the British government, and experts have stated that the US president does not have the authority to order his release.
Responding to the claim, independent human rights lawyer, Atty. Urias Pour explained that the court, which sentenced Taylor is an independent body established through a partnership between the United Nations and Sierra Leone.
He clarified that the court does not fall under the jurisdiction of the United States government and does not operate under its mandate.
The human rights lawyer further stated that Taylor could only be released upon completing his jail term or on health grounds that may warrant his early release.
He said, in such a case, the court would have the discretion to grant his release on medical grounds or otherwise.
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