Hi Readers,
With apologies, former Special Court for Sierra Leone Prosecutor, David Crane, let us know he is no longer available on Friday to answer our questions. We are trying to sort out whether another time is possible for his schedule and will revert with news when I have it.
David Crane, David Crane, and David Crane.
Stephen Rapp, Stephen Rapp, and Stephen Rapp
Sometimes, somethings just don’t require any explanation. This is one of those instances.
David Crane ashame of his prosecution case?
I AM TERRIBLY ABOUT THE DELAY OF THE PROSECUTOR,THIS IS A MAN THAT YOU CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE TO DESTROY SIERRA LEONE AND THE ENTIRE SUB REGION,AND THE TYPE OF NEGATIVE PUBLICITY THAT YOU USED AGAINST THIS MAN EVEN BEFORE HE BECAME OF LIBERIA.IT BAFFLED ME THAT MISS HOLLIS WIL EVEN REDUCE HER SELF TO USE THE TRC ALLEGATION AGAINST A MAN THAT THEY HAVE PARADED ALL TYPE SET BACK,PLS MISS HOLLIE AND OTHERS FROM PROCESUTION
Tracey,
I am sad that David Crane is no longer available on to answer our questions. I was so looking forward to him answering my two. Did Mr. Crane view any of the questions on the site?
Hi Ken — yes, I agree it is disappointing that the interview can’t go ahead as planned. I know many of us were looking forward to his thoughts. Alas, he hasn’t answered any of the questions yet — but we are going to keep trying to see if we can reschedule with him.
Best,
Tracey
Ken,
Don’t be sad or disappointed. Some of us already predicted the outcome of David Crane invitation. If you can recall, it was on December 23, 2009 @ 4:24 Pm, when Aki asked Tracey, “if the first Prosecutor of the Special Court Mr. David Crane would be available to answer question on this forum?” Immediately, Noko4 responded on January 4, 2010 @ 9:50 Am to Aki. He said, “He won’t dare to show up…. look at what Mr. Rapp did….he helped on this site DEFEAT the case…. couldn’t gave a DIRECT answer.”
Than came the man of the hour, Jose Rodriguez. I wouldn’t quote myself, because as you may know, I am very detailed in expanding my thoughts: as the result, I don’t want to take much of the time. However, I said on January 6, 2010 @3:23AM, “this man will not show up.” Nontheless, true to our words, this founding father of this inherently flwaed court, did not show up.
Dear Readers,
David Crane will avoid answering your questions. The reason is simple, because I exposed him. I throw a monkey wrench into the ring.
Hi Tracey,
let turn to the next page David Cain FAIL the people of Sierra Leone.
He will not answer.
Yet his hope is on the big hands to put smile’s on his face (if you know what I am talking about or who)
Divad Crane is a defeated foe. They have opened a box that is too heavy for them to carry. The man CGT in question is not just a horse ride. You gotta come harder guys cuz the fact of the matter is that the man is walking free in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He already told you guys. God willing he will be back but you haters just don’t get it.
They aint got a jig think on this man. David Crane, you better go and catch your sleep because you just can’t handle this. No wonder why I misspelled his name. David Crane, I put a challenge before you today. Come and give answers to our questions. Or you already know it’s hard for you to answer? Do you think the world is not watching? We don’t need partial justice here. Iraq is there. People died. Why don’t you indict George Bush or Tony Blair if you believe in Justice? But you want to exercise it on the innocent who try to protect the laws and constitution of a sovereign nation.
Look Tracey, thanks for your effort. I will appreciate if you pass the message to David Crane.
The LORD’S vengeance will rest on them all that caused the pain of us Africans. You ( The West) orchestrated war on our continent to control us and then you blame us? It’s over. Africans will be free. You took our resources, took us as slaves to build your cities in the west, not only that but after we were used as slaves you treated us like aliens. What more do you want from us?
Let Africans settle their problems you people have caused. There are too many on you guys plate. Leave us alone.
Some of us don’t wanna talk but the thing is too much now. I’m not afraid. I will speak my stomach out. That is why the President of Libya addressed the UN and you guys were mad but it is the truth. Your own chatter cannot be observe? What kind of world is this?
Long live Charles Taylor! Long live the people of Sierra Leone! Long live Liberia! Long Live Africa!
That’s It my brother!!!!!! Lets think !!!!!
Wait a munite, doesn’t anyone got the right to prospone or cancel an interview especially in this high profile case? Mr. Crane probably has reason for this cancellation, but if not, so be it! This shouldn’t be interpreted as avoiding anybody’s questions or afraid of anyone on this blog. When do we grow up and think grown? Why not use this time to focus on the plight that awaits taylor? You loyalists might be the most disappointed individuals at the end of this trial, mark my comments!
Fallah,
David Crane ran away. There is no other way to put it. If he knew he could not have kept up with his promise, he could have said it at least a week or so in advance to “the date”. He probably could have sent some one on the prosecution team to answer our tough questions. But instead, he bowed out and reneged. He disappointed the world again, especially being the original founding father of this inherently flawed court. There are so many questions that people around the world will like to ask Mr. Crane. I think it was a total disrespect and a slip in the face. More importantly, he did not tell the world his reason for not showing up as expected.
Hi Jose – Mr. Crane actually told us he had competing obligations at his university and could no longer speak at the time we had set up. Also, it is important for us to remember: Mr. Crane is no longer part of the prosecution team. He was the original prosecutor for the Special Court, but he no longer acts on behalf of the Special Court, nor is he in a position to send people from the prosecution to speak on his behalf. He is an indpendent individual who has a unique perspective because of his former position. I will revert when I hear more about the postponement.
Best,
Tracey
Tracey,
Did you write this sentence?
“He is an indpendent individual who has a unique perspective because of his former position.”
This man almost put Liberia and Ghana at war, is that being unique? If you were in Ghana that moment maybe you would describe him differently by now, do you have any idea of how many Liberians that were vulnerable in as well as Ghanaians in Liberia? I mean they don’t have any regards for our (Africans) lives.
Hi Ujay — I do understand what you are saying and take your point. It is often individuals, families, and sometimes whole communities, who may not not have anything to do with perpetuating conflicts, that may bear the brunt of the (often violent) reaction to the news that a high level person — such as a president — is indicted for international crimes. Indeed similar concerns were raised in the context of Sudan when its president, Omar al-Bashir, was indicted by the International Criminal Court. It is also a huge discussion among policy makers about how peace and justice co-exist.
When I described Mr. Crane as having a unique perspective, I did not intend to cause offense. To me, his unique perspective comes from the fact that he was the first prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the person who decided to indict Mr. Taylor when he was a sitting head of state. There are not too many people in the world who make that kind of decision. And at the time when he did so, there was only one other sitting head of state in the world who had ever been indicted by an international court (Slobodan Milosevic, the then Yugoslav president had been indicted four years before Mr. Taylor, back in 1999 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which at the time made international headlines for being the first time this had been done by an international court: http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9905/27/kosovo.milosevic.04/).
However, I did not mean to obscure the fact that others suffered and became even more vulnerable in the wake of the indictment. And I hope there will be some more discussion on the site about what that decision meant for people who were (or whose family and loved ones were) in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ghana at the time; and what readers’ analyses are of the aftermath of the announcement of the indictment, including the actions of other actors and groups as well as the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Indeed I hope we do get to hear the perspectives of people whose lives became more vulnerable in the wake of this decision (but also in the wake of the conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia more generally) on this site, if not by those people directly, then at least by people speaking on their behalf – such as you just have. It is those voices that are rarely heard when discussions of high-level decisions like those to indict sitting heads of state happen. I hope here can be one space where those experiences can be aired and better understood by all of us.
Ujay, thanks for making me think about the way in which my words here are being understood and the implications they can raise for readers. I appreciate you raising this with me.
Best,
Tracey
Hi Tracey, I noticed that because of the delay in posting the daily summaries, you’ve made some slight errors. January 26, 2010 summary was dated January 27, 2010, while January 27, 2010 summary was dated January 28, 2010. Pls check and make the necessary corrections if possible.
Hi Daniel — thanks so much for pointing this out. I will correct them so there is no confusion about the dates.
Best,
Tracey
Hi Tracey,
when will this guy shows up to answer to questions? I think it will be okay if can forget Mr. Crane and go about our usual thin yahhhhhhhhh.