Sierra Leone upholds sentences for 3 former rebels

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) - An international tribunal has upheld the sentences for three rebel leaders convicted of crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone.

The appeals chamber on Monday upheld a 52-year sentence for Issa Sesay, a former leader of the Revolutionary United Front rebels.

Former rebel commanders Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao were condemned to 40 years and 25 years in jail respectively.

The court in February found the three guilty of crimes ranging from amputation and murder to the enlistment of child soldiers in the West African nation.

Sierra Leone's war was fueled by illicit diamond sales, a conflict depicted in the 2006 film "Blood Diamond."

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