The Inquirer (Monrovia)

Liberia: Former NPFL General Denies Allegation of Human Rights Abuse

Rose Saulwas

3 December 2008


Rtd. General John L. Teah has denied all allegations of human rights violations against him like all other alleged perpetrators that had appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

The former General of the National Patriotic Party of Liberia (NPFL) who denied that he led his men into several villages in Nimba County and maltreated the villagers also claimed not to know the town in which it was alleged that he beheaded a town chief for being in favor of the National Democratic Party of Liberia.

In his testimony yesterday, December 2, 2008, the defunct NPFL rebel General who was allegedly among those that attacked Liberia on December 24, cleverly buttressed previous witnesses by saying "I challenge all those who are accusing me whether dead or alive to come to the TRC and prove it beyond all security reasonable doubt."

Gen. Teah who was apparently a deflected soldier of the national army, the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), further denied the training of child soldiers for the NPFL while serving as the deputy training commandant for said group pointing out, "As a trained soldier, I kept my Red Cross book which I used whenever I captured men."

"My mission was to unseat Doe, and I only killed on the battle front and not innocent people whom for whom I had no malice," he told the Commissioners, though he was accused of pointing out to Benjamin Yeaten a man who was tortured severely.

However, he admitted that he joined the NPFL because of the way he was treated during the 1985 Quiwonkpa invasion in Monrovia while he was in the AFL.

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Author: s.waylee
Wed Dec 3 13:51:22 2008

John L. Teah,there is nothing to denied about the crime you have committed against innocent liberians.well,if your mission was only to kill and unseat DOE then what happened to your fellow NIMBIAN? am talking about mr.jackson f.doe,samuel dokie,moses duopor,steven yekeson,minister towel,enoch dogolia,nelson gaye and the last two deputy ministers that were beaten to death when taylor return from ghana,these people are your brothers from the same county and they were not of the DOE'family or krahn people. so why killed them if you are a truth liberator of your people? you are just another bitch misled by thus socalled americo-liberians,you killed your brothers and sisters to bring congo people back to power despite of the native man effort to end thier dictatorship after 133years of one part systems.shame on you and pls come on with the truth so that you can be forgiven by the liberian people.we are up for peace. S.G.W


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