Charles Taylor this week accused the prosecution of “misleading the court” by introducing evidence that as Liberian president, Mr. Taylor acted to resolve conflicts between Sierra Leone’s rebel commanders, appointed a chief rebel leader in his warring neighboring country, and then independently offered safe haven in Liberia to a top Sierra Leonean rebel on the run. Mr. Taylor also reinforced the truthfulness of his former vice president Moses Blah’s testimony against him last year, but pointed out three areas where he disagreed with Mr. Blah. Also in his testimony this week, Mr. Taylor accused Britain of transporting arms to Sierra Leone in violation of a United Nations arms embargo and then using him as a scapegoat by falsely accusing him of being responsible for the flow of arms into Sierra Leone.
On Monday, Mr. Taylor told the judges that “the prosecution misled the court” when he responded to the testimony of Vamunya Sherif, a previous prosecution witness and former Deputy Director of Operations in the Liberian Secret Service during Mr. Taylor’s presidency. Mr. Sherif, in his January 2008 testimony, told Special Court judges that Mr. Taylor served as mediator between two senior rebel commanders of Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Issa Sesay and Sam Bockarie. According to Mr. Sherif, Mr. Taylor invited the two RUF commanders to Liberia in order to resolve a conflict between them, during which time Mr. Taylor changed the leadership of the RUF, making Mr. Sesay the RUF’s frontline commander in place of Mr. Bockarie. The witness said that Mr. Bockarie eventually departed for Liberia where he sought a safe haven. Mr. Taylor on Monday dismissed the witness’s account as “lies.”
“No such situation occurred where I sent for Sam Bockarie and Issa Sesay to discuss a conflict between them that will lead to the departure of Bockarie,” Mr. Taylor said.
“The prosecution knows that no such meeting took place because they have gone through major documents that tell how Bockarie left Sierra Leone, so for them to ask that question when they know that no such meeting took place is sinister, and the prosecution misled the court,” the accused former Liberian president added.
Mr. Taylor also explained that there is no “correlation” in the time at which Mr. Bockarie left Sierra Leone in 1999 and the time at which Mr. Sesay became interim leader of the RUF in 2000.
“We are talking about seven months beginning in December 1999 when Bockarie left Sierra Leone and August 2000 when Issa Sesay took over the leadership of the RUF, so there is no correlation between the two,” he said.
Mr. Taylor further denied the witness’ claims that RUF commander Mr. Bockarie transported arms and ammunition from Liberia for use by RUF rebels in Sierra Leone and that in 1998, Mr. Bockarie travelled to Burkina Faso and returned with arms and ammunition via Liberia for RUF rebels in Sierra Leone.
“I think that this witness is confused or is deliberately mistating the evidence as he is told to do,” Mr. Taylor said.
Also on Monday, Mr. Taylor refuted the testimony of a previous prosecution witness Samuel Kargbo, a former member of Sierra Leone’s illegal Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) junta, which overthrew the elected government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah in May 1997. The witness in his testimony told the court that Mr. Taylor gave his support to the illegal junta in Sierra Leone and the AFRC’s leader Johnny Paul Koroma was in constant communication with Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor denied the witness’s claims on Monday.
“That is totally not true,” Mr. Taylor said. “He tells several lies here. I never spoke to Johnny Paul Koroma even before my presidency, and during my presidency, except in August 1999,” he added.
Mr. Taylor asserted that Liberia, like other West African states did not recognize the illegal AFRC junta in Sierra Leone.
On Tuesday, Mr. Taylor, in a surprising move, told the court that a huge portion of his former vice president Mr. Blah’s May 2008 testimony against him was true.
“To a great extent, Moses [Blah] told the court the truth,” Mr. Taylor said when asked by his defense counsel to give his view on his former vice president’s testimony. “There were three areas where unfortunately, he was wrong but 90-95 percent of what he said is true.”
Mr. Taylor’s analysis of Mr. Blah’s testimony came as part of his ongoing effort to respond to evidence provided by several prosecution witnesses, disputing their claims that he provided support for RUF rebels in Sierra Leone after November 1996, amid the country’s 11-years conflict. In May 2008, Mr. Taylor’s former vice president Moses Blah, had testified for the prosecution against his former boss (Taylor), a testimony which covered Mr. Taylor’s activities from the late 1980s when the two men were together in Libya and planning to invade Liberia, up to 2003 when Mr. Taylor handed the presidency of Liberia to Mr. Blah and sought asylum in Nigeria.
Mr. Taylor went through some aspects of Mr. Blah’s testimony and agreed with him that as vice president, he had no knowledge that arms and ammunition were transported from Liberia to Sierra Leone for use by RUF rebels. Mr. Taylor also agreed with his former vice president’s testimony that when the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) attacked Liberia in 1989, current Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was responsible for the NPFL’s fund raising issues in the United States.
Mr. Taylor did disagree with his former vice-president on specific issues arising in his testimony.
“I can specify three areas where he lied,” Mr. Taylor told the Special Court for Sierra Leone judges. “One is how he spoke about the Sam Bockarie issue was wrong. He was sent to handle the Sam Bockarie situation, he took the body to Monrovia and delivered it at the funeral home. Unfortunately, I don’t know why he lied.”
“The second thing is he said he did not know he’d become vice president. The third area he could have been more forthcoming was about the activities of Sam Lato. He knows that Sam Lato was tried by court martial before he was executed. Other than that, for whatever reason he came here, he was as factual as he could,” he said.
Mr. Taylor also insisted that he did not order the execution of Mr. Bockarie as alleged by several prosecution witnesses, but rather sent Mr. Blah to arrest him on the Liberian border with Ivory Coast.
“Moses lied to this court when he said that he was just going to his farm. I dispatched him to go and effect Bockarie’s arrest,” Mr. Taylor told the judges on Wednesday.
In his May 2008 testimony, Mr. Blah told the judges that he was in his village in Nimba on the night of May 5, 2002 when Mr. Taylor’s Director of Special Security Service (SSS), Benjamin Yeaten, stopped by his house and greeted him in the company Mr. Bockarie, his wife and other Sierra Leoneans. At about 2-2:30AM, Mr. Blah said, he was woken up and told that fighting had erupted at the Liberian-Ivorian border. The following day, on his way back to Monrovia, he said he bumped into Mr. Yeaten who invited him to a Saw Mill Camp and told him they had gone on a special operation the previous night. He said that Mr. Yeaten then showed him the corpse of Mr. Bockarie, which he said was still dressed like he had seen him the previous night.
In response, Mr. Taylor disputed his former vice president’s account, insisting that Mr. Bockarie’s corpse was driven to Monrovia and delivered to the funeral home by Mr. Blah himself.
“Sam Bockarie’s body, on anything under the sun, was taken to Monrovia by Blah. Nobody under this planet took the body to Monrovia other than Moses Blah. I don’t know why he lied,” Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Taylor also disputed Mr. Blah’s account that when he saw Mr. Bockarie’s corpse at the Saw Mill Camp on the way to Monrovia, Mr. Yeaten had told him that Mr. Bockarie was executed because they wanted to “destroy evidence,” not wanting “anything exposed.” Mr. Blah told the court in May 2008 that he believed that if Mr. Bockarie had not been killed, the NPFL and Mr. Taylor’s secret support to the RUF would have been exposed.
Mr. Taylor on Wednesday dismissed Mr. Blah’s account, insisting that there was no secret he feared to be exposed.
“There was no such thing. Expose what? What is about Sam Bockarie to be exposed? Bockarie to my understanding was not indicted. I didn’t lure Bockarie to Liberia to kill him because I didn’t want to be exposed,” Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Taylor also dismissed Mr. Blah’s account that when he arrived in Monrovia following Mr. Bockarie’s death, he asked Mr. Taylor why Mr. Bockarie had been killed. According to Mr. Blah, Mr. Taylor dismissed his inquiry into the matter, saying that “that is not your business, it is a military operation.”
“He is a military man and how will I not discuss that with him? Mr. Taylor asked.
“Blah was sent to that operation. I swear to my life, he took the body to the funeral home. He is lying. The fact of the matter is that Bockarie is killed by Liberian forces. I liked Bockarie as a son and Moses knows how hurt I was to hear of Bockarie’s death. Blah was negligent, I sent him to save this boy but he failed,” Mr. Taylor told the judges.
Mr. Taylor also told the judges that while he was attending peace talks in Ghana in 2003 and during which time the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone unsealed the indictment against him, United States officials convinced his former vice president Mr. Blah to stage a coup and unseat him. Mr. Taylor said that on his return, he ordered the arrest of Mr. Blah, after which, the former vice president admitted that he had indeed been encouraged by the US officials to unseat Mr. Taylor.
Also on Wednesday, Mr. Taylor declared the prosecution’s expert witness, Dr. Stephen Ellis, as biased. Mr. Ellis had testified in 2008 about Mr. Taylor’s activities in the West African sub-region. According to Mr. Taylor, Dr. Ellis has had a long standing association with certain Liberians, including current Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who he said have made all efforts to bring Mr. Taylor down. Mr. Taylor’s defense team produced transcripts of a telephone conversation that Dr. Ellis had with Madam Johnson Sirleaf several years ago for a book he was writing about developments in the sub-region.
On Thurday, Mr. Taylor accused Britain of transporting arms to Sierra Leone and falsely accusing him of sending arms to rebel forces in the war-ravaged country. The accused former Liberian president told the judges that when the AFRC overthrew the elected government of Sierra Leone in 1997, the country’s ousted president, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, engaged a British mercenary group, Sandline, to dislodge the illegal AFRC junta regime from the country’s capital Freetown. He explained that the arrangement was facilitated by then British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone Peter Penfold, whom he said already had links with Sandline prior to his assignment to Sierra Leone in March 1997. Sandline, Mr. Taylor said, provided training and arms for Sierra Leonean civil militia, the Kamajors, as well as Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) peacekeepers. Mr. Taylor said that the British navel ship HMS Conway was also in the high seas supplying arms and ammunition to forces loyal to President Kabbah. According to Mr. Taylor, the British — who had drafted a United Nations resolution imposing an arms embargo on Sierra Leone — were the ones violating the sanctions.
“The British government was breaking the United Nations resolution,” Mr. Taylor alleged.
According to Mr. Taylor, when it became clear that the British were the ones violating the UN sanctions on Sierra Leone, they decided to use him as a scapegoat, alleging that he was the one supplying arms to rebel forces in his neighboring country.
“The explanation as to how arms are flowing into Sierra Leone is that they are coming from Liberia. They will bring in these arms and build this lie that arms are coming from Liberia,” he said.
“They were aware but they put the blame on Taylor and I say to the world that how can I supply arms to Sierra Leone when I do not have arms in Liberia?” the former president asked.
The accused former president reiterated a familiar position that these allegations are part of a conspiracy theory to destroy him.
“All of this is an orchestration for my destruction,” he maintained.
Mr. Taylor also made attempts to discredit international press reports that he was involved in a diamond trade with Sierra Leone’s RUF rebels. Referring to a June 2000 Washington Post and an August 2000 Wall Street Journal reports which both accused him of being involved in a diamond trade with the RUF, Mr. Taylor told the judges on Thursday that these were “deliberate attempts to spread disinformation to destroy me.”
Also in his testimony on Thursday, Mr. Taylor discussed in detail a report by a Washington Post reporter Douglas Farah, which linked him with the terrorist group Al Qaeda. The report, published in October 2003 and titled “The Role of Conflict Diamonds in Failed States” alleged that Al Qaeda operatives made regular visits to Liberia during which they purchased diamonds from Sierra Leone’s RUF rebels. According to the report, Ibrahim Bah, an alleged agent of Mr. Taylor, had close ties with an Islamic fundamentalist group in Afghanistan. The report further alleged that armed guards associated with Mr. Taylor escorted Al Qaeda operatives into Liberia to purchase conflict diamonds. Mr. Taylor denied the contents of the report, saying that if he had any knowledge that Ibrahim Bah was involved in such actions, he would not have entered Liberia.
“Bah would not have stayed in Liberia if we had known,” he said. The former president told the judges that “there are no armed guards escorting Al Qaeda into Liberia.”
Mr. Taylor also refuted contents of the Mr. Farah’s report which alleged that by the end of 2001, Al Qaeda dispatched two operatives to Liberia offering to buy all diamonds the RUF could produce.
“That is so not true,” Mr. Taylor told the judges.
Mr. Taylor explained that when these allegations were made, his government cooperated with the United States authorities. After a thorough investigation, it was revealed that there were no Al Qaeda operatives in Liberia, he said. He explained that by the time Mr. Farah wrote his report in October 2003, “the matter was already properly investigated and dismissed.”
Mr. Taylor further challenged the contents of a report by Belgian Federal Criminal Investigators, which alleged that Al Qaeda had a relationship with RUF rebels in Sierra Leone, through Liberia, under Mr. Taylor’s supervision.
“It is totally untrue. The report does not contain any factual evidence of the conclusion reached in that statement,” Mr. Taylor responded.
Mr. Taylor said he was not aware of any meetings between RUF and Al Qaeda operatives in the Hotel Boulevard in Monrovia, as alleged in the Belgian report.
Dismissing the report, Mr. Taylor told the judges that “this gives all the signs of a well orchestrated set of lies. How can professional people behave like this? This is a very amateurish report here destined to destroy people.”
Mr. Taylor is on trial for 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law. He is responding to allegations that he was involved in a joint criminal enterprise with RUF rebels to wage war in Sierra Leone, and had control over RUF activities, including the crimes the group committed. The prosecution also alleges that Mr. Taylor provided aid and support to RUF rebels in Sierra Leone through the supply of arms and ammunition in return for the country’s diamonds. Mr. Taylor has denied these allegations. He is testifying as a witness in his own defense.
Well, all I can say is, the very vibes and value systems the WEST has instilled in some of us and we believe in it, is being giving up by them in a total disloyalty to their own course. What can I say?
Gentlemen, thanks to this website.
Alpha, thanks for reporting the news and not making the news. Good job buddy.
The international courts are only set up in impoverished countries as an employment agency for the powerful nations. I do not for one moment believe the money and time spent are worth the convictions meted out. The local courts in those countries would have spent less than that amount and still hand down the same convictions. How can this so-called international tribunals actually justify their outcomes in places like Sierra Leone where majority of the people live on less than a dollar a day and yet they can spend $20m on a prison to house a handful of people? But then I must know that he has has the roof set the rules. They have the money they tell us what to do even if it means throwing out our constitutions they helped and sometimes forced us to draft.
Below is a link to a recent BBC article entitled Did Sierra Leone Get War Crimes Justice. Among other things mentioned the writer buttesses Mr. Taylor’s case in mentioning that it was West African leaders who had asked Issa Sesay to take over the RUF leadership. As we know this has been Mr. Taylor’s position since the trial begun. The prosecution wants the court to believe that Mr. Taylor used his influence as the overall leader of the RUF to appoint Issa Sesay.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8345618.stm
Okay taylor, 90-95% of Blah’s testimony is true to you, except any linkage Blah made about your personal knowledge to how Boakerie was possibly killed! Great defense tactic gankay!
Also could you please name the other West African Leaders who signed “this so call agreement that Boakerie and his thugs be relocated next door to “conflict zone” Sierra Leone, instead of going to Nigeria,since Nigeria is considered as Africa’s Super Power? And If I may add; was it also agreed amongst you and these West African Leaders on other logistics about sharing expenses for their upkeep since we are talking about close to 350 ruthless suckers who were not only suffering from Post Traumic War Syndrome, but may have needed not only psychiatric counseling, but rehabilitation therapy? Or was all these from taylor own kindness to these guys as rapay for the diamonds they provided you with?
Fallah,
It seems like you are out of words…..care to comment on what was displayed in court today???
One of the clearest example of the prosecution lies and deceptions.
Aki,
Thanks for posting this link and hope it will help some of the mis-informed brothers and sisters we have on this site who believed that personal biases are some form of Justice that should be used against people they hate! I didn’t support Mr. Taylor fighting in Liberia, that is, by taking arms as our other brothers and sisters did. And again everybody had different reasons for which they were fighting!
Now let’s see who is telling the truth, I know the Judges have read this informations that is on this link!
Interesting to see that one of the authors of “Merchant of Death” is used as a witness. I really would be interested to see Victor Bout as a witness in this case–if the authors of Merchant of Death are right, Bout and Taylor pretty much planned the RUF invasion of Kono…
Jakob,
Victor is about to be FREE…….what was his crime??? NOTHING!!! But the US wants him because he befriended her enemy……wonderful world isn’t it???
Are you believeing what you writing about that PLANNING?? No one witness has come in here but someone with NO knowledge of the area is telling us to sell a book…
What is your view thus far……I know we are still getting testimonies and more to come but so far….your view???
Jakob,
How does fiction fit in fact; We are talking about the rule of law…
One word…….
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!
The only facts that we can get out of this so-called trial is really from Mr Taylor but not any one else including the prosecuting team. All they want is for this fellow to act scary and admit to all of their alligations against him. But they are seeing now that Taylor is not a rock to play with. He is educated, eloquent, and capable of representing himself. It seems to me that this guy study Law. The hunter will be hunted soon.
Hey Guys,
I heard some news today about Liberia that I believe I should share with you. I was told today that Ellen suspended the child adoption functions of the judicial system because there were claims of abuse. I had wanted to adopt a relative of mine to bring them here. But now I was told that it is impossible given the ban on adoptions.
Now people, tell me. It is our right to exercise the option of adoption and the courts should be available to facilitate the process. How in the world can she suspend an entire function of government because of abuse. this is usurpation in it highest form. Why does she shut down the executive mansion when letters are forged granting authorizations to release or transfer millions of dollars, that she claims not to know anything about.
I feel this is an abuse of authority. I will bring a law suit against the goverment while I am there. I will be there for two weeks, but I will file a suit, because this is unacceptable.
Hey Guys,
who follow the trial this morning on the issue of the admittance into evidence of a prosecution document that was released to the defense. My people, the prosecution had a document concerning investigative report conducted by some western governments that the prosecution chose not to present in evidence for reasons best known to them. Now the defense wanted to introduce these evidence and the prosecution objected.
Tell me why and how would you object to your own document? what are you attempting to conceal one may ask? why did you not present the document into evidence? Why obscure the defense’s quest for a full coverage?
Well perry mason provided the answer in his submission. He submitted that the attmpt to block the document could be considered as misleading the court.
Ms. Teage,
Please desist from misleading us into believing that Ellen is making gains like providing electricity, or contracting with mittel steel. For someone like Ellen, who craved the presidency for so long, I was of the opinion that 3 years would be sufficient to provide electricity to Monrovia to say the least. You and I know that 95% of Monrovia does not have public power. So we will not be mislead. On the issue of investment like mittel steel, you and I know that she fell for the temptation that Taylor resisted. The value-added economic that Taylor advocated is not being injected. That is why firestone has help Liberia produce plastic bag since 1926. But when President Tolbert aligned with the East and other Non-aligned nations to bring development to Liberia, he was assassinated. As I maintain, if firestone can just help Liberia manufacture condoms for the 5 billion people of this world, we would be able to pay off our debts and have sufficient funds left to develop our country. So please stop misleading us. we are knowledgeable enough.
What we need from Ellen is to leave a legacy into place. Establish a presidential library by law so that we do not demonize our leaders when they leave office but learn and emulate them. We need her to decentralize authority and delegate responsibility. For example, amend the constitution so that superintendents and court judges are elected rather than being appointed by the president. This would constitutionally reduce the power of the president. Restructure the authority and composition of the election commission so that it is not manipulated by the executive. Let the election commission derive its authority from the constitution and let civil bodies nominate members, and then confirmed by the senate. This way the election commission will be assumed at least free of manipulation.
Economically, Ellen can privatize LEC, LPRC, TELECOM, and the list goes on. we need reforms in that country.Take all these parastatals out of government control, because history is replete with mismanagement, corruption and abuse. do not mislead us. she is not doing enough for the position that she maliciously wanted.
andrewjlay,
I hope this woman has ears to hear the cry of the Liberian people. I also wonder if this Ms. Teage woman has eyes to see the suffering of the many Liberians that go to bed hungry every night since Ellen came to power. Ms. Teage, please look around you and speak from your human heart. My brother andrew, God will surely bless you and your children’s children. Please get in touch with me when you come down for vacation.
Regards
Harris K Johnson
This morning 11/09/09 testimony something interesting happened, “Perry Mason” introduced a piece of evidence to be marked as an exhibit. It was a major piece of document the persecution had in her possession but failed to disclose it to the Court and to the defense. The foundation was laid and “Perry Mason” asked for said document to be marked as a defense exhibit. Ms Brenda J Hollis raise an objection on the ground of insufficient foundations and Rule 18. I stand corrected, indicating that said document should not be admissible because the document was not part of the presidential archives.
Justice Richard Lussick presiding, asked defense attorney “Perry Mason” to respond to Ms Hollis’s objection. “Perry Mason” told the court, “I will be blunt about this. The persecution is MISLEADING this Court” the persecution had this document in her possession and intentionally failed to disclose it. Ms Hollis rebuttal, indicating that the persecution is not MISLEADING the court and “Perry Mason” should chose his words more carefully. The judges went into a brief discussion and the document was permissible into evidence.
I need some clarifications, maybe Tracey or any legal minds can help me with this. Hence, Perry Mason upright in open court said that the persecution is MISLEADING the court and the judges permitted the document into evidence is this by any means an indication that the judges agreed that the persecution is MISLEADING the court?
Last week Charles Taylor accused the persecution witness (Moses Blah) of MISLEADING the Court, and today “defense counselor “Perry Mason” also accused the persecution of MISLEADING the Court. If these two accusations are truth can the defense petition the court for a mistrial?
Of course this is not going to be the case. WE want to win but not by technicality.
Hi Big B — let me check with Alpha around this discussion that you describe and revert.
Best,
Tracey
Who watched the trial today and still believe Mr. Taylor is GUILTY???? WHO???? What a DRAMA…….I will respond in one word said Mr. Taylor…..”RACISM”.
Again, we see DOCUMENTS that the prosecutors sat on…..maybe they didn’t who this Taylor man was but I strong believe they now know who this Taylor man is….NOT A WALK OVER PERSON…..someone who went thru the CIA spy school of thoughts!!!!
Amazing to say the least. Mr. Taylor even if the kill you tomorrow…..you will FOREVER live on. Show them this African is NOT silly, foolish and stupid. As for Perry Mason…..words CANNOT praised.
Big B,
I am now back in Liberia from my vacation in the States. For this reason I can’t watch the trial live anymore. I most appreciate the major points given by yourselves like the Prosecution objecting to their own evidence being admitted. What a joke !
Aki,
This persecution team wants to have their cake and eat it too. But with God above, his children will one day march on the streets of Monrovia, Africa and the World singing and shouting FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY WE ARE FREE AT LAST!
There is nothing like watching the live court room drama, but we are fortunate to have Alpha’s vivid reporting or the transcript when ever you have the access to the Internet.
By the way Aki, this morning 11/10/09 Ms Hollis first day of cross examination was a disaster. Ms Hollis was argumentative, unprepared and her line of questioning was very elementary. One will think that her first day of cross she would have impressed the judges and give it her best shot. To the contrary, Ms Hollis appears as if she was caught off guard. She finished her cross examination 1 hour and 45 minutes ahead of time. CT was brilliant. He was the counselor and Ms Hollis was the one on the witness’s stand.
Hey Aki, how’s Liberia? Nice to know you are back there. Stay safe while out there. I know armed robbery is on the rise every minute on the clock and the Liberian government is not doing anything meaningful to curb it. I also understand that when UNIMIL is called at night when there are reports of armed robbery, they stand afar and start yelling to scare the armed robbers. They’re dare not to even get any closer especially in that thick darkness. So buddy, my advise to you is to always have TPI= Two Person Integrity. Don’t walk all alone.
Noko4 my brother,
I totally agree with you. This case is has shown that racism is still rife in certain international circles. What a disgrace! Well at least those who still are not convinced will have a reason to rethink their views even if they do not wat to admit it. This man was framed- plain and simple.
I go back to one of my earlier post where I say this was the case of trying to set an example so that other Africans could be kept in check. They do not want us to have any say in our own destiny or to speak out when we are being mistreated. Thank God for men like Taylor who inspit of the odds took a stand to let the world know the truth.
The onous now is on the international community to come out and do the right thing here and safe face. I hope they will be honourable enough to allow justice to prevail and let this man go free so that he can live the remainder of his life in peace. This is a true travesty!
Breaking news, Mr. Crane called for the establishment of a war crime court in Liberia. What a news, has Mr. Taylor destroyed the million lies created by Mr. Crane against him? I take this as a big turn around and the lost of hope on the part of the prosecution to win this case. They are now shamefully calling for the establishment of another court in Liberia to trap Mr. Taylor. I though they said it was ought to Liberians to decide, why now? Someone please help me. I’m totally out of words. God bless Mr. Taylor.
Regards
Harris K Johnson
Harris K. Johnson,
Buddy, just out of curiosity, could you provide more information as to the source and time of Mr. David Crane announcement of the astonishing news for the establishment of war crimes court in Liberi?
My brother Jose Rodriguez,
It is all over in the Liberian media. The BBC also covered it on Focus on Africa yesterday.
Regards
Harris
Harris Johnson, thank you for the info.
Ok, brother, you are most welcome. I can also be reached here at jkortu@yahoo.com.
Best wishes
Harris K Johnson
Harris,
Exciting news!! Just made my day!!!
Whatever!!!
Noko 5,
whatever too!!!!
The person knows who we are talking about in respose to Harris Johnson statement of war crimes cout in Liberia.
Harris,
This will be good news for Liberia, a war crime court, wow. What is crane’s job now?
another thought, will they extradite all those from the Doe regime who committed atrocities, like the lutheran church massacre, the undp compound massacre, the dumping of young children in wells in nimba county, summary executions of robert philips, vanjah richards, etc?
they have a great deal. this will be no pick and choose fiasco like the sierra leone case. Ellen will go on trial and so would be many o thers who aided and abetted in any form to include bush, etc.
Harris,
They know they have failed so they want to try the other way; Gods willing that will never work. Infact that’s why the TRC was form. Liberians are smart people . We are tire with whiteman making money out of us. We are not DUM like others..
Then, Let the papay go for God sake.
Regards
Harris K Johnson