Today was the last day of trial for three weeks while the Special Court for Sierra Leone goes on recess.
The presiding judge, Justice Richard Lussick, today said that the trial will take a recess as of end of working day tomorrow and will resume on Monday October 26 2009 at 9:30AM. The recess, Justice Lussick said, is in place of the summer recess which the chamber had refused to take because they wanted to get started with the defense phase of the case.
Also today, the prosecution asked Mr. Taylor’s defense counsel, Courtenay Griffiths, to provide a revised timeframe for the estimated length of Mr. Taylor’s testimony. Contrary to his original statement that Mr. Taylor’s testimony will last for about eight weeks — covering direct, cross and re-direct examination — Mr. Griffiths today told the court that Mr. Taylor’s testimony will not be completed by the end of this calender year. Mr. Taylor’s testimony will continue in 2010, after which, other defense witness will be called to testify.
When court resumes on October 26 2009, Mr. Taylor will continue with his direct testimony.
every night , i pray that Taylor sees the same barrel of the gun that he made others to see. not only that but that he be shot and killed just as he and his criminals shot and killed others. there will be no rest of minds in Liberia and sierra Leone until that beast faces some of the wickedness he visited upon the people of this region.
there are more of these wicked men walking free but at least if this one is wiped from the face of the earth, this world will be a better place.
Robert,
Why are you being such a coward? If you really meant what you are saying you should have gone and fought against him. You now sit from the comfort of your home and make silly statements.
Robert,
Don’t you think , you should be praying for a rehab to accept you. you are venting you frustration on taylor for notthing. He will be aquaited, look better, live better, be more famous and become poresident of liberia again. Just watch..,
Robert, clealy you are experiencing some emotional outburst here. President Taylor lived all along in Liberia up to the time he left for Nigeria. Why didn’t you shoot him dead? It is still not late. Get a Netherland Visa, go to his detention falicity, and shoot him dead, if that’s want you want. Don’t just sit there, do something. I can assure you Robert, Taylor will be acquitted and he will return to Liberia. You will not even come close to him before I say shoot him. You are dreaming Robert. Hadn’t been for George Bush and Tony Blair, Taylor wouldn’t have been where he is today and you know it. You also know very well, that all the other warring factions combined along with Ecomog, sactions with UN, Great Britain, and America backing and media propaganda, yet you could not have even touched him. Stop dreaming. Liberians and Africans are willing and able to protect President Taylor with their bodies.
Jose, I am in line with you, I love Taylor, I am a Nigerian. He must and will be freed. He has done nothin wrong.
Good and awesome point Eddie. I strongly encourage you to continue posting. However, you are a fair minded person.
Robert,
unfortunately, your personal hatred for Mr taylor as expressed in your comment does not amount to evidence to PROVE Mr Taylor guilty in this case. If as you claim you want justice, then why should justice be conditional? there should at least be equal justice for everybody including Mr Taylor. All of us following this trial are yet to be convinced that Mr Taylor is guilty of the charges he is accussed of in this trial. If you doubt me read the indictment.
Fallah,
Do you believe all aspects of Zigzag Marzah’s testimony, given its erraticity? Let us be as intellectual as we can. I hold in high respect your level of exposure, maturity and education. If you accept all aspects of that story, Fallah, then I must apologize but you are not being consciously sincere to you ancestry and the name FALLAH that they bestow upon you. This Marzah demeaned the honor of our poro society. He claimed that the poro society engages in cannibalism. You and I know that the practices of the poro and sandee societies are customary and traditions of our chiefs and elders. The use the society as a medium to pass on values, traditions and standards from one generation to the other. For you to accept that our elders are cannibalizing as we speak is disappointing. I am sorry but you are not being humble to your ancestry.
Revert Fallah. Because the practices that we are defending today are inherit in your name – Fallah. That name is a traditional and cultural name and it is not just given to any individual. Let me hear from you, Fallah.
Andrew,
Please , this guy will not adress him self to your inquiry. Eventhough he claims to have all the educations around here, but his analitical contributions are completely in contradition. besides he tried to get a job at one point in taylors’ goverment but never had a strong resume. So you know how bitter he is against taylor.. don’t hold him of too much high esteem..let’s see what he may have to say this time.. if he..
Andrew Jlay,
Fallah and is not the only member of the Poro and Sandi Society of Liberia that is impugning with outer condescension and demeaning our culture by accepting Zigzag Marzah’s statement of cannibalism being praticed in our traditional schools. This is no surprise to some of us. These people are literally destroying themselves and Liberia just to eliminate this one man called Taylor. Thank you very much for reminding Fallah of his traditional Kisi Name, “Fallah”. You rubbed it in his face. Fallah, did you and your family members eat human beings when you/they joined the Poro Society or it was only Zigzag Marzah’s traditional school that ate human beings?
Andrew Jlay,
You make a very good point concerning the poro society. I am a member of the poro society since January of 1975 and my traditional name is Kpannah, which means, I was the first one to joined when the poro society schooling start that year.
Since 1975 up to today date I have not seeing members of the poro society involved in cannibalism as been told by Marzah Zigzag in this trial. But the good thing is that there are some westerners who have joined the poro society; therefore, some of them knows what it’s all about.
I remember in 1984, there was a poro society bush going on in Jimmy Jackson farm, Careysburg, before getting to fifteen gate on Kakata highway; there was a white man who join there in 1984 and I hope he’s following this trial and come out to testify as well.
Infact I am getting ready to take my boys children from the United States to have them joined the poro Society once I leave Iraq next year. I really don’t care what anyone have to say against the poro society, I am taking my children to become members and if anyone have problem with it, they can join and find out the true about the poro society instead of listining to all these lies that Marzah is saying here!
Jocone,
Thumbs up to you for this post sir, and God Bless you in IRAQ.
Hello prosecution people , are you there??? Have you all escape?? I am here to take on you. Come on speak up . Tell what you Know about Rapp, his human eating witnesses and liers.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What do your think about the Liberian TRC report? Will it be Justice at all for Mr. Taylor and others who didn’t have the opportunity to appeared before the TRC to tell their stories to be recommened by the TRC for prosecution?
If so, does such recommendations fall with in the TRC mandates? I look forward to hearing from you all!
Thanks,
Joe
Jocone,
This TRC final report was already dead upon arrival although, it says unedited report by President Johnson Sirleaf. The TRC was established specifically because of President Taylor subliminally (undetected). However, since he is already in the custody of the Court in the Hague, the TRC defeated its own purpose. Ellen and the other warlords of Liberia have shown that their differences are being much smaller from the challenges they faced together in the past when President Taylor was a free man. So they decided to move on and not to implement the TRC final recommendations. Nevertheless, one thing we can be excited of is that, Ellen and the other warlords can no longer rely on the complacency of the people with their totalitarian behavior in order to control. There have been a ferocious urgency of the moment. For example: Some members of the dissolved TRC in person of Counselor Pearl Bull Brown have blamed outside interference and the International Community for the final drafting with the intent to get even with some Liberians in the forms of pay back time, while other members of the TRC like Massa Washington has directly debated President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Press Secretary Cyrus Badio on the implementation of the report and called on President Johnson Sirleaf to ensure the full implementation of the final recommmendations of the TRC.
Jocone, politics is being played here. However, we are winning. Not because we are smarter than President Sirleaf and the rests; but, because we are speaking the truth, and we are consistent in speaking the truth. However, everyone knows that the truth always overcome, overpower, and triumph over lies and deception.
Noko5,
it is true that Mr. Rapp witness/witnesses are human eating witnesses and crazy people (Ziggy Manza, Vamuya sherif, etc). Mr. Rapp, Are you proud of your cannibalistic witnesses you brought to this court? Rapp, you know very well that in the U.S, these witnesses and their testimonies will not be brought to court for reason of INSANITY. Why did you take advantage of these Afriacan people? Rapp, can a human eating human being testimony be admissisble and credible in a American court? SHAME ON YOU RAPP. However, for the new appointed BLACK CHIEF PROSECCUTOR, do the right thing. Acquit President Taylor based on the evidence presented. These white extremists, like Rapp and David Crane, could not have brought another white person including Ms. Holland to replace Mr. Rapp because, they know there is no case against President Taylor, and they don’t want to embarrass their white race and the West. Tthat is why they chose you. Nontheless, be advised, your choice as a chief prosecutor is not based on qualification but, rather on racial setiment, in order to make it seems like your future judgement in their supposed behalf is freed from racism, prejudice, bias, and the truth presented. Their choices are not to make that mistake of choosing another white man. Remember, it was a white man by the name of David Crane who was their first prosecutor and later replaced by another white man, Steven Rapp.However, almost at the end of the trial, they brought you in. Don’t be used by these guys, Mr. new prosecutor, do the right thing by acquitting President Taylor based on the facts.
Jose,
Trust me, ms. Holand and Rapp got one difference. “GENDER” Thats it . She is coming in with the same preconcieved misconception of our president only for the love of money. She is probably going to try to even make up bigger lies against him. She is going to try to make their bosses happy. Remember these are all messagers of the devil. You know what birds of the same feathers do… But by the grace of god, mr. taylor will prevail…
I believe the taylor supporters have run out of topics and back to attacks on either Rapp, or New prosecutor, or whether Fallah is really a member of the Poro Society..and etc! You know what ..? I am a member of the Kissi Poro Society since 1959 and eventhough I have lived outside the culture, but I still respect its norms and values to date. Besides I do belong to some Highest Fraternity societies of the West too. However, I will neither go further than that nor allow this distraction,by you guys from the real Topic of Taylor’s involvement of murders and rapes of the people of Sierra Leone.
I would have never asked to work for taylor even if I had the opportunity to do so because I am a man of values and I hold them highly and therefore would not work for such heartless man! Taylor’s objectives were simple: terrorize the people by use of any means even if it involved cannibalism! Yes, Taylor ate human hearts and It is true whether you believe it or not. There are graphic stories from reliable sources on these practices by taylor himself and confidential reports and writtings will attest to this after the trial! You little guys pretend to know a lot but unfortunately you really don’t know much about African Witchcraft as you claim! Therefore, let’s focus on the trial for now!
J. Fallah Menjor,
I want to ask you a question. Does the Poro Society condone or encourage cannibalism? Yes or no! If the answer is yes then you are right to feel Zigzag didn’t lie under oath. If the answer is no then he did lie.
Fallah,
I am tempted to ignore your usual ranting but after some thought, I decided to answer you. You see you stated nothing new in your post. The issue is about credible proof. If you are in possession of any proof as you claim, why not pass it over to the prosecution they are seriously in need of it because at the moment, their case is not looking good at all. you can accuse sombody of anything but the burden of proof lays on the accuser to substanciate his allegations and not on the accussed to prove his innocence as you seem to think.
FALLAH, PLS GET UR PROVE RIGHT AND DONT SPECULATE
j fallah menjor wrote, “There are graphic stories from reliable sources on these practices by taylor himself and confidential reports and writtings will attest to this after the trial!”
Fallah, why does it have to be “after the trial” before your “graphic stories from reliable sources” concerning Taylor’s human eating practices are expose. Or is it the case that there are no facts for these outrageous claims except the lies presented in this court????
OLD AND NEW KING GRAY FROM THE GREAT BASSA TRIBE OF WEST AFRICA, I couldn’t have said it better than you did in response to J. Fallah Menjor “graphic story from reliable source” of Taylor himself chopping and swallowing the human meat. Fallah is telling us after the trial shall have ended, we will see the graphic pictures. Fallah, are you OK?
King ,
You know, fallah is a guy who builts his hopes on speculations. Actually if this brother Knows something , iit will be very, very welcoming to tell it , or make his point known in the court. But trust me he will only speak of what he thinks the court should do to taylor. He is an ordinary hatter….
Boy oh Boy!
It’s sad to say but it’s the right thing to do! Any man who claim to have values and yet support injustices to others just because of hatefuness, place their own values in question! Once again we have seen one of the prosecutor’s star witnesses ( Vamuyan Sheriff ) who was a General for ULIMO involve in cannibalism! I mean on video! I wonder how you feel J FALLAH MENJOR since you believed every word that comes from the mouth of these prosecutor’s witnesses?
J FALLAH MENJOR, do you agree with Marzah zigzag that members of the poro society are involved in practices of cannibalism? If so, will you agree that you are guilty of such practices as well since you are a member of the poro society?
I must first of all inform you that there isn’t such thing as Kissi poro society, instead, the poro society is the same for the Loma, Kpelle, Belle, Gbandi, Mano, Mande and Gola tribes but the differences are the mentels of idendifications which is link only to the Gola people. That is, the identification of the Gola poro members is on the back or under both the right and left arms of the member and there are reasons for that which I have no need to discuss here.
If you think by saying you are member of the Kissi poro society will set you or the Kissi people aside from the accusation of cannibalism as claim by Marzah, You are making a mistake brother!
unless you’re telling us that, the Kissi pepole in Sierra Leone have a different poro society
which I don’t think they do! Even the Kissi from Guinea have the same poro society as we Liberians.The simple fact is that, the poro society have nothing to do with cannibalism practices and we both know that, unless you are not a member FALLAH!
If your claim is correct that there are GRAPHIC STORIES to proved that Mr. Taylor ate Human hearts, why didn’t the prosecution present that while presenting their case against Mr. Taylor? I want you to know that each and everyone of us who are seeking true justice here are focus on the trail. As such, we are discussing the evidences and testimonies of these so-called prosecustion witnesses!
Again my position of true Justice is static, I do believed that those who are responsible for committing crimes against both the Liberians and Sierra Leonean people should be held responsible for their actions but it should be done with fairness and not to decieved the victims of these crimes and that’s what we’re seeing in this trial!
GIVE MR. TAYLOR HIS FREEDOM, HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SIERRA LEONEAN PEOPLE! IF YOUR WANT, YOUR CAN PROSECUTE HIM FOR WHAT HE DID IN LIBERIA. THAT WAY, THEY CAN PULL YOU ( MR. TAYLOR ) AS THE ROPE AND YOU WILL PULL THE BUSHES ALONG AS WELL!!
Andrew,
Great to know that you are here on this site. This is your Cousin, Podein Klee. I’m now in Zwedru and can be reached at podeinklee@yahoo.com. My mobile number is +231 6 93 79 86. I will be waiting to hear from you after a very long time.
Regards
Podein
Podein,
Happy to hear that you are live and well. I am okay in the states and will be coming to Libeiria soon. We cannot be too personal here, but I will send you an email. Please get all info on this Zigzag Marzah for me. I guess you have read all the lies about Taylor.
Let these Taylor haters know some of the lies.
why would want to go to Liberia and not to the Hague to see your Papay? You see, you should be thankful to MaMa Ellen for keeping your country safe so you can return every now and then even though you claimed taylor was the best.
Common now young man go to the Hague instead because I heard that your chief appears so old now that he resamlbes Foday Sankoh! Go console him Andrew and stay away from the government you hate so much! Please say hye to some of your friends for me yah? Wish you best stay in New Liberia!
Okay guys I told you that I would not discuss any further about the Poro Society since it is not relevant here and so it shall remain!
On your questions about proof from Prosecution about taylor involvement in cannibalism and other human sacifice among other charges; I will tell you this; When Prosecution presented its case, it provided witnesses that would testify to these allegations and that is why Blah, Marzza,and others have done! What other proof are you guys asking for? Videos? Recordings? Taylor’s signatures on these videos?
Give me a break, this is not a matter of opinions nor technicality here! It is simple logic! Taylor supported lawlessness in the neighboring country, Sierra Leone, and in the process conived with the rebels in order to carry out criminal activities resulting in murders, rapes, force labour, sexual slavery, and stealing of that Nations wealth! That is why taylor is locked up in the Hague. Any other questions?
Fallah, you came creeping hoping that some of us will not come back to this date since we have passed it about two weeks ago with your little jabs as usual. And also hoping that you will have the last word on this page. Well, I get news for you. It’s not going to happen. However, you said the discussion of the Poro Society is not relevant. That is also not true. Every evidence in this case is relevant. The only reason why you don’t want to discuss this piece of evidence because it also indicts you as human flesh eater and all other members of the Society. Fallah, did Moses Blah say President Taylor ate human flesh? Stop misrepresenting the facts in order to advance your own hidden agenda. Lastly, anybody can say anything about anybody. But it is not amountable to sufficient proof. Right now, I can say, Fallah did this or fallah did that. Does it make it truth? “NO” Fallah. It is my word against your word.
Hi guys,
Just to let you know that I’m back from Grand Kru, aka Grand walking County. I’m fresh and ready to join the discussion. Have a nice day.
Regards
Harris Kortu Johnson
Harris K. Johnson, welcome back with good faith and strong fighting spirit. We are still here. Happy to join us again.
Thanks brother, we are here to stay.
Best wishes
Harris K Johnson