Green Advocates has applauded the decision of the Dutch Government to arrest, prosecute and convict the long-time business associate of former president Taylor , Gus Kouwenhoven of breaking United Nations arms embargo on Liberia.

The arms Gus imported into Liberia were used to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, a release issued by the Green Advocates has said.

"Gus Kouwenhoven, the President and owner of the Oriental Timber Corporation (OTC), was arrested on March 25, 2005 in Rotterdam and charged with violating the UN arms embargo and war crimes. On July 1, he was arraigned before Dutch Court for preliminary hearing into his case.

"On Monday May 23, Gus was arrested in Rotterdam and his various luxury enclaves in Paris were searched. He was charged with violating the United Nations arms embargo.

"It is public knowledge that the Dutch hangman's presence in Liberia spans through more than a decade with the links to several tyrannical regimes, beginning with the regime of Samuel Doe and other successive regimes intensifying with the Taylor's vicious political empire.

According to the President and Founder of Green Advocates, Attorney-at-Law Alfred L. Brownell, "Green Advocates celebrates the triumph of international law and local Domestic Dutch law over crude and brutal business enterprises. We frown on the unrepentant acts of conspiracy indulged by corporate entities located within Liberia in their vain quest for profits at the expense of the blood, sweat and tears of ordinary Liberians.

"In their misadventure, these corporations have destroyed our traditional and cultural reserves, trained and armed militias who brutalized villagers, polluted our rivers and streams, extinct our endangered species, desecrated traditional shrines and promoted forced prostitution." "Gus and his cohorts were consistently engaged in and supported several evil serfdoms in Liberia. They supported, financed and fueled the war economy of Liberia and promoted the war machinery of Liberia's worse despots and tyrants.

"Several investigations and reports by Green Advocates and other local and international civil society organizations confirmed by the panel of experts on Liberia and the Government of Liberia Forest Concession Review Committee have documented the trail of Gus' misadventures in Liberia thus placing him on the notorious list of those banned from traveling out of Liberia.

"Gus was the chief of Liberia's Timber Mafias. His arrest, trial and subsequent conviction of breaking UN arms embargo demonstrates that the shield of corporate invincibility is no longer a refuge for those who conspire, connive and collaborate with brutal regimes under the guise of doing business. The writings are on the wall According to Attorney-at-Law Alfred Brownell "International law has consistently validated the legitimacy and moral necessity of addressing corporate complicity and have determined that such actions amount to crimes against humanity when they tend to abuse and violate the rights of individuals, commit rape, torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatments.

"In the case of Gus, his use of corporate cover to support the conscription of child soldiers, indulge in arms trafficking, perpetuate sex slavery and the wholesale plunder of natural resources without regard to the environment and the livelihood of ordinary citizens is uncontested.

"We are saddened and disappointed that the Dutch Court found otherwise, especially where the evidence linked to war crimes was overwhelming. We optimistically await the outcome of the prosecution appeal to the lower court decision on the war crime decision.

"International laws have evolved addressing impunity and pursuing corporate vampires who seek pleasure and profits at the expense of the blood of weary villagers and helpless mothers. It extends to those who have decimated and criminalized our country. The arms of international law favor the justice that will compel them to answer for their actions. Today local domestic Dutch Law strengthened by International law has produced the first Liberian war crime convict."

"We rejoice today that our long campaign to end corporate conspiracy with dictatorial regimes in our country has commenced. We praise the efforts of the local Liberian civil society activists, progressive Liberian media institutions and individual Liberians and foreigners alike who volunteered information and evidence at risk to their lives and families and those who gallantly volunteered to travel to the Netherlands on a mission of justice to testify that the end of justice will be met. Fellow Liberians this is just the beginning.

"We specifically called on the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Government to implement all United Nations Security Council Resolutions, particularly the resolution on Asset Freeze of former government officials and business partners of former President Taylor.

"We call on other countries and governments, particularly the United States of America to follow the example of the Netherlands and bring to book war criminals. For example the recent indictment of Charles Taylor Junior AKA "Chukie" on alleged pass port fraud is inadequate and need to be strengthened to include war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Chukie while he served as Commander of the feared Anti Terrorist Unit established by his father in Liberia.

"We also call on the United States Government to conduct an investigation of several of their citizens as well as the activities of their multinational corporations including the Firestone Rubber Plantation, Freedom Gold Corporations of famed televangelist Pat Robertson, Talal Eddine, Richard Chikali and others linked to former President Charles Taylor as well as the role these corporations and individuals played in financing the war machines of former the President that resulted in the death of more than 300,000 innocent Liberians.

"We call on the Russian and Ukrainian governments to take actions against Victor Bout and Leonid Minin, principal financiers and arms suppliers of former President Taylor respectively.

"The verdict today clearly indicates that there will be no hiding place, no refuge for all those who in their vain quest for power, privilege and wealth would immorally acquire same at the expense of the blood, sweat and tears of our citizens "We extend our appreciation to our international civil society partners whose consistent campaign aided with grassroots information from many local Liberian activists as well as ordinary citizens help capture the fugitive business czar.

"We continue to remind all and sundry that temporary flight is possible but justice will triumph in the long run. The dawn of day is finally here," the release issued by the Green Advocates said.