19 February 2008
The trial of Charles Taylor in The Hague continued Friday, February 15, 2008 with lawyers representing the defendant objecting to the Special Court for Sierra Leone admitting into evidence an expert report of Beth Vann submitted to the Court by the Prosecution Counsel.
Prosecution Counsel, Mohamed Bangura, continued his direct examination of Witness TF1-101.
The Witness explained that he knew Rambo before, and saw him stopped the men who amputated and killed civilians and was aware that Rambo was a rebel leader.
The Witness stated that he had helped push Rambo's car when it had broken down at one point.
The Witness testified that, about one year after the incident, he saw the person who amputated his hands at football training in Western Freetown. At that time, the Witness confronted this person, but the person did not reply and went away. The Witness concluded by stating that his hands were amputated on 19 January 1999.
The Defense Team had no questions. Expert Report of Beth Vann, MSW
Defense Counsel Terry Munyard objected to extracts of Beth Vann's report being submitted in addition to the full report and summary. Mr. Munyard explained that, in May 2007, the Defense accepted the report and curriculum vitae of Ms. Vann. On 4 February 2008, the Prosecution changed course and sought to submit extracts from these documents. Prosecution Counsel Shyamala Alagendra replied that these extracts had been included in the list of potential exhibits.
The expert report includes references in footnotes, which the Prosecution also sought to admit. The court upheld the objection. Shyamala Alagendra opted to tender the report as submitted, to which Defense Counsel did not object. The report without extracts was entered as exhibit.
Shyamala Alagendra summarized for the Court the expert's report on war-related sexual violence between 1996 and 2002. The report was based on field research and first-hand experiences from women. The majority of the sexual violence discussed in the report occurred between 1997 and 1999. The violence detailed in the report was committed by RUF rebels throughout the country and committed against women of all ages, including children.
The report also included statements from refugees in Guinea, who gave first hand accounts of stories of amputations, torture, and killings by RUF rebels. Female heads of household were also interviewed in preparation of the report. These women recounted stories of sexual slavery committed by the RUF and AFRC forces. Ms. Vann's findings have been confirmed by a Human Rights Watch Report.
The Examination of Witness TF1-192 Commences
Shyamala Alagendra began the direct examination of Witness TF1-192. The Witness was a Sierra Leonean national from the Koranko Tribe. Shyamala Alagendra inquired about the events that occurred during the rainy season of 1998, while the Witness was living in Bamboafuidu, in the Kono District, Nimiyama Chiefdom.
The Witness explained that during the rainy season, the civilians from Bamboafuidu fled into the bush. The civilians had received a message that rebel forces were approaching. This message was delivered by a person named Gbessy Sesay, whose right hand was amputated by the rebels, and whom the civilians had never seen before.
The civilians stayed in the bush for two months. After that period, ECOMOG asked them to clear the road from Makeni to Sandia, which had been blocked. Twenty men, including the Witness, cleared the road and spent the night in Bamboafuidu at Shaku Monsary's house. During that night, two men dressed in combat outfits and armed with guns came to the house and claimed to be their saviors. The two men brought the Witness to Alhaji Tejancole's father's house and told the Witness to sit on the floor, where other civilians were sitting.
An old woman of the Limba tribe was brought in by the rebels. The rebels moved all civilians to the chief's veranda. Over 50 rebels were in the village at that time, the Witness estimated. The rebels cut the Limba woman's throat while holding her down. The civilians were then taken to the veranda of the Witness's father home, where rebels ordered them to take off their clothes and have sexual intercourse.
The Witness was forced to watch. His sister was part of this group of civilians. The rebels then locked up the women inside the farm house; some women were beaten before being hurdled into the farm house. A rebel was ordered to burn the farm house where the women were locked in, but he broke the latch instead and told the women to run away.
During the second session, Shyamala Alagendra continued the examination of Witness TF1-192 regarding the events in the 1998 rainy season. The Witness explained that, after the women escaped from the farm house, the rebels made the Witness, who was first in the line they had formed, stretch out his hand for amputation. The rebels cut into the Witness's right arm, which badly mutilated it. The next person in line was also mutilated by the rebels.
The men were released, so they went to the bush to look for their families. Back in Bomboafuidu, the Witness found many others whose hands and arms had been amputated. His sister's left hand was mutilated; the right hand was completely cut off.
After the rebels left Bomboafuidu, the civilians stayed until nighttime in the village. As night fell, they returned to the bush to sleep. The next day, the civilians went back to Bomboafuidu. After this, they continued on to Njaiama Sewafe. From there, they went to Makeni to be treated for their injuries. The Witness concluded his testimony by stating that he cannot use his right hand anymore. The Defense Team had no questions for this witness.
Prosecution Crime-Base Witnesses Describe Gang Rapes, Killings and Amputations by RUF Forces in Freetown and Elsewhere in January 1999. Yesterday's session began with the Prosecution, and thereafter the Defense, submitting various documents as exhibits.
After about 45 minutes, prosecutor Shyamala Alagendra presented the Prosecution's first Witness of the day, "TF1-021", a 24 year-old woman belonging to the Limba Tribe from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Her identity was protected through the use of a screen and voice distortion.
Abduction and rape
The Witness's testimony focused on the events on 6 January 1999 and the following nine months. On that date, 9 RUF rebels came to her house, where she was with her parents and sisters. The rebels shot her sister because she was crying. Afterwards, the rebels captured her and made her witness the rebels amputating arms and hands of several civilians and burning houses.
The commander of the rebels, identified as "Rocky", was also there. The Witness and seven other girls and many other civilians (about 50) were taken from the village to Kalabataa. Once there, the Witness was subsequently gang raped by four of the rebels.
When asked if she could see what the rebels were doing to the other girls, the Witness answered that she could see that they were doing the same to the other girls as they were doing to her. Describing this memory made her emotional, which prompted Presiding Judge Doherty to give the Witness a break.
During this break, Defense Counsel Morris Anyah questioned why this distressing evidence is relevant for the case. Prosecution replied that this is a vital and real part of the case that the Prosecution has to prove. In response, the Court reminded the Defense that it has not agreed to these facts.
During the second morning session, the Witness continued her description of the gang rape. A total of seven RUF rebels took part in the raping of seven girls that were with her. After two days in Kabalataa, all the civilians from the village were taken to Waterloo, accompanied by a high ranking rebel, Rocky.
The Witness described atrocities that took place on the way to Waterloo, such as an incident where a civilian man's hand was cut off because he tried to flee.
Training camp
The witness was taken to Makeni, where she met the commander (Brigadier Issa Sesay) and an important man in the RUF, called "Superman". She stayed in Makeni for three weeks, in Brigadier Sesay's house.
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I think there is still tension and the heat is still on in Liberia. The other rebels in Liberia are still active in Government. Let Charles Taylor still for now. I also think Charlies deserves some punishment for allowing himself to be used as a dirty worker or a skapegoat.
Charlie case is hard to decide. For the matter of fact, he was in prison in the United State and was said to have broken jail.Breaking Federal jail and getting resources and manpower to distablize Liberia.This is something to think about.If killing Charles is an amicable solution to the… [Read Full Text]
It is unclear how God could be responsible for the hacking of limbs of children in Sierra Leone. Pray tell what sin babies could have committed to deserve the permanent loss of their hands and limbs. Your contention that there may be forces in the dark, while speculative, may have some backbone to it. As in all matters human, only time will tell, however.
For us who saw firsthand the unnecessary destruction meted out on innocent citizens of my country, Sierra Leone,Taylor doest not deserve to be alive by now let alone talk of forgiveness.I know God will not let him see the light of day untill he dies in jail.
Sahid,Freetown.
Did u Sahid ever saw Charles Taylor in Freetown with a gun or matchette killing or hacking of the limbs of anybody? Your answer like all our answers will be no. Your own countrymen, your very brothers and sisters did these things to you. Taylor did not force them. They did what they wanted to do to their own people because they are brutal and heartless by nature. Stop blaming Charles Taylor for what your own children did to you!
A conspiracy to commit crimes Mr. Taylor is alleged to have committd does not include the requirement of his physical presence in Sierra Leone. The contention is that he directed the alleged criminal acts perpetrated in Freetown from Monrovia, Liberia. Personalizing the issue does not advance the clarification of the complex issues implicated by Mr. Taylor's trial.
Hey Hey Hay! If it were your brothers that had this kind of suffering may be you would not have said such rubbish. Charles Taylor has no need to hold a gun and walk into Freetown, but HIS COMMAND AND INFLUENCE made people to do what they did.
Hey Hey Hay! If it were your brothers that had this kind of suffering may be you would not have said such rubbish. Charles Taylor has no need to hold a gun and walk into Freetown, but HIS COMMAND AND INFLUENCE made people to do what they did.So he should be asked for that.
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Like us forgive charles Taylor?, And like him go home Africa?, Today it is Taylor.