Liberia's Ex-President Charles Taylor Begins Appeal at the Hague

Was handed 50 year sentence after being convicted of war crimes

Prosecutors urged international judges Tuesday to reject former Liberian President Charles Taylor's appeal against his war crimes conviction and 50-year prison sentence, saying courts should hold "lords of war" as responsible for sponsoring atrocities as the machete or machine gun-wielding killers they support.

Taylor was found guilty in April last year of aiding and abetting Sierra Leone rebels, becoming the first former head of state since World War II to be convicted by an international war crimes court.