Prosecutors today questioned a defense witness for Charles Taylor about the death of Liberian politician Samuel Dokie ,who was allegedly assassinated alongside his family in 1997 by fighters loyal to the former Liberian president. Prosecutors aim to prove that in addition to supporting Sierra Leonean rebels, Mr. Taylor did not respect the law and that he was notorious for eliminating persons perceived to be opposed to him.
Mrs. Annie Yeney, a former member of Mr. Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) rebel group, today concluded her testimony as Mr. Taylor’s 14th witness after being cross-examined by prosecutors. Prosecution counsel Mohamed Bangura spent today’s cross-examination questioning the witness about the death of Mr. Dokie, who prosecutors alleged was assassinated on the orders of Mr. Taylor because the former Liberian president believed that Mr. Dokie and few other NPFL members wanted to form a rival faction to pose a threat to his (Taylor) bid for the Liberian presidency. Mr. Taylor has denied these allegations.
The witness, who told the court yesterday that Mr. Dokie’s wife was her sister, today said that she could not tell whether members of the Dokie family were killed on the orders of Mr. Taylor. Alongside another popular Liberia politician Jackson Doe, Prosecutors allege that Mr. Dokie was assassinated because he was about to depart for neighbouring Guniea to meet another NPFL dissident Laveli Supuwood. Mr. Supuwood is now a part of Mr. Taylor’s defense team. Asked today whether these allegations were true, Mrs. Yeney said she did not know.
Asked by Mr. Bangura whether “Charles Taylor believed that Sam Dokie and Laveli Supuwood will form an alliance against him and that’s why he prevented him [Dokie] from going to Guinea,” Mrs. Yeney responded that “I don’t know.”
“The death of Sam Dokie and Jackson Doe were not incidents that happened by chance. These people were ordered executed by Charles Taylor?” Mr. Bangura asked the witness again.
Again, the witness said “I don’t know.”
“It was part of his efforts to eliminate political opponents, isn’t it? Mr. Bangura pressed the witness again.
For a third time, the witness said “I don’t really know.”
Mrs. Yeney denied that her loyalty to Mr. Taylor had motivated her to travel to The Hague to testify for the former Liberian president. She said that she decided to testify because she wanted to refute claims by prosecution witness and former member of the NPFL Joseph Zig Zag Marzah that she cooked Mr. Dokie’s liver as a meal and served Mr. Taylor. In March 2008, Mr. Marzah told the court that after Mr. Dokie’s execution, his liver was cooked by Mrs. Yeney and served in a meal to Mr. Taylor as part of a ceremony. The witness denied this allegation in her testimony yesterday. Today, Mr. Bangura sought to know whether the witness ever served this meal in a bowl to Mr. Taylor as part of a traditional ceremony. The witness said that never happened.
“Around the time that Sam Dokie was killed, you did serve food to Mr. Taylor, didn’t you?” Mr. Bangura asked the witness.
“No,when Sam Dokie was killed, I never, even when we were in Gbarngha, I never gave him food, no, I never gave him food,” the witness responded.
“You served him soup which was served in a ceremonial way, didn’t you.” Mr. Bangura pressed the witness further.
Again, the witness said “no, I don’t know anything about society, I am not in a society, no.”
Mrs. Yeney also today told the court that those who were accused of executing Mr. Dokie and his family were never tried in court. She said that Mr. Taylor’s Director of Special Security Services (SSS) Benjamin Yeaten was only questioned by a Court in Bong County whether he knew anything about the death of Mr. Dokie and his family. She said that family members of the Dokies were later informed by the judge that those who were responsible for the assassinations had escaped and that once they were arrested, the family members would be informed. This, she said never happened.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Taylor was known for executing his political opponents and that was why he allegedly ordered the execution of the Dokies. The former Liberian president is on trial for providing support to Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in Sierra Leone. Mr. Taylor has denied the allegations against him.
On Monday the testimony of Mr. Taylor’s 15th witness will commence.
When is the trial of Charles Taylor going to end? Justice taking longer.
Prosecutor Bangura really makes me laugh at times. Asking someone if she did serve soup in a traditional way to Mr Taylor at the time or around the time Mr Dokie died seems a silly or incompetent question for a lawyer to ask. If he’s suggesting something he might as well do it outright. He makes a mockery of African lawyers.
I really do not think the defence need labour themselves over a character such as J. Marzah. Even the judges know that such an illiterate person was only seeking to boost his own ego by claiming to be involved in every single activity regardless of the timeline.
rgk007,
it is within the scope of cross examination to ask such types of questions. However cross examination loses its value when the witness is saying the truth because you will not see any area to contradict him/her. that was what happend in the case of Ma Annie when she testified. the prosecution simply do not know how else to proceed since as lawyers they have seen clearly that she was brought to discredit Mr Marzah’s testimony and it was infact Marzah that named her in his testimony so the prosecution just do not know what else to do to save their fake case.
Who know all these mad men they are bring for witnesses, will take a long time. They have to make their money.
Alex,
During the prosecutors’ show, we got lots of NONSENSE unrelating to the charges….they brought in issues about Liberia that had ZERO bearing to the charges and the defense is FORCE to correct those NONSENSE. So when will it end, after we say THE END.
I hope those testifying will do so for a better Liberia. This is the time to say what you saw. This time will help put law and order into place. Be sincere and keep those who died in your sight. They too need justice.
Emmanuel,
when its time for the Liberian war crimes tribunal, there will be no shortage of witnesses to prove the charges against Mr Taylor and all the other people who started and perpetuated the war in Liberia. In the time being this trial is not about Liberia it is about Sierra Leone so testimony here is about what the prosecutors said Mr Taylor did in Sierra Leone while he was in Liberia as head of the NPFL and as President. If you want true justice for the victims of the Liberian war, support the clamor for the setting up of the Liberian war crimes tribunal to be set up as soon as possible.
THIS IS A JOKE THEY HAVE WASTED A LOT OF TIME WITH THIS TRAIL WHO WHATS THIS MAN LOCKED UP FOR WAR CRIMES EVERY LAST WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY HAS CORUPT GOVERNMENT
Ryce, what’s your point here? How can this trial be a joke, according to you, and from your inductive reason? Because West African Leaders are all corrupt, accoding to you, there is no need to stop the circle? If this type of reasoning is good to you, then we should not talk peace, and should take your mechides and return to the forest where we feel comfortable! However, taylor has to be cleared of all charges of not only personal greed for material gains, but coniving to commit crimes, and in the process so many people lost their lives.This is what the trial is about Ryce. Just read your posting again and attempt to be honest in answering it for you own good!