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Claim: A Facebook user, Junior Duo, posted in Fries FM (a private group) alleging the US President has ordered the release of Liberia’s former President Charles Taylor from prison.
Verdict: False! DUBAWA’s research on all executive orders by President Trump since his ascendancy shows there was no such order to release Taylor.
Full Text
Liberia’s former President and warlord, Charles G. Taylor, was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment in 2012. This decision was a judgement from a UN-backed tribunal in the Hague following war crime allegations levelled against him. Ex-president Taylor supported rebels from 1996 to 2002 in return for conflict gems during the crisis in neighbouring Sierra Leone. The list of offences he was convicted of includes murder, rape, sexual slavery, recruiting child soldiers, enforced amputations, and pillage. The judge described his role in the war as “utmost gravity in scale and brutality.” The sentence resulted from Charles Taylor being jailed in the UK at the cost of the British Government. The story can be found here.
On Feb 9, 2025, a Facebook user named Junior Duo posted on FRIES FM claiming that United States President Trump had issued an order for the warlord’s release. He said, “US President Donald Trump has released an order to free former President Charles Taylor.”
A screenshot of the post.
At the time of this writing, the post had generated 57 reactions and 78 comments. The comments had mixed reactions. Some users believed the claim, while others argued that the poster was deceiving the public. The mixed reactions led DUBAWA to initiate a fact-check.
A screenshot of the comments.
Verification
DUBAWA researched all the executive orders US President Donald Trump released since his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. During our search on the White House website, we found no order or statement from President Trump on the release of ex-President Taylor.
Further verifying, we checked several other international news outlets in light of the President’s action but found none. However, warlord Taylor is under the British Government’s jurisdiction, and experts argue that President Donald Trump doesn’t have such authority to order his release. Atty. Uria’s Pour, an Independent Human Rights Lawyer, told DUBAWA that the Court is an Independent Court established between Sierra Leone and the United Nations, which is not in the jurisdiction of the American government and doesn’t operate through the mandate of the United States of America.
Atty. Pour said Charles Taylor can only be released based on the following circumstances: that he has completed his jail term, or there’s a health constraint that could lead to his possible demise in a couple of days, which the court may observe and decide to release him for medical attention or otherwise.
The lawyer stressed, “President Trump is the President of America and not the President of the UN. His presidential power to pardon inmates from prison is solely directed to prisons on the premises of America.”
Conclusion
From the findings gathered, US President Trump didn’t order the release of Liberia’s ex-President Charles Taylor.
