CharlesTaylorTrial.org (The Hague)
Alpha Sesay
23 November 2009
The trial for former Liberian president Charles Taylor took an early adjournment today when immediately after the mid-morning break, one of the judges reportedly fell ill. Prior to the court's adjournment, the accused former Liberian president denied allegations that he sent his rebel fighters to attack neighbouring Guinea, saying that he gave approval to "hot pursuit missions" which entered into the neighboring country.
When the trial resumed today after the court's mid-morning break, Presiding Judge, Justice Richard Lussick informed all the parties that the court will take an early adjournment because one of the three judges, Justice Julia Sebutinde had fallen ill. Since it is important that Justice Sebutinde hears all the evidence in the trial, the other two judges would not proceed in her absence, Justice Lussick said. The court adjourned for the day.
Prior to the court's adjournment, lead prosecutor Ms. Brenda Hollis accused Mr. Taylor of sending rebel fighters to Guinea in 2001, with an aim of destabilising the country. The attack on Guinea, which according to Ms. Hollis, was code namded "Operation Take No Sides," was led by National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) commander Mark Guan. Mr. Taylor denied Ms. Hollis' assertion.
"I know Mark Guan but i do not know of any operation of that name," Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Taylor admitted that he approved "hot puruit missions" into Guinea but denied sending fighters to attack the country.
"There were operations that crossed into Guinea but they were hot pursuit operations and I personally ordered those operations," Mr. Taylor told the court today.
Mr. Taylor has consistently accused former Guinean president Lansana Conte (Late) of supporting Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels who were threatening to unseat his government in Liberia. Prosecution witnesses have testified that Mr. Taylor used this as justification to send rebel forces, including Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels to attack Guinea. Mr. Taylor has denied giving any orders to rebels to attack Guinea.
In response to allegations by Ms. Hollis that based on Mr. Taylor's orders, RUF rebels joined NPFL rebels in 2001 to attack Guinea, the former Liberian president said that "was not to my knowlege."
"I am aware of hot pursuit missions in Guinea. These were standing orders approved by me. There are no operations planned but only of hot pursuit," he added.
Mr. Taylor also today denied allegations that his subordinates in Liberia killed civilians during the country's conflict as well as when he became president of the country. According to Ms. Hollis, in November 1994, NPFL rebels killed over 100 civilians in Bong County. Ms. Hollis further alleged that after the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) attack on the NPFL headquarters in Gbangha, NPFL rebels killed civilians who were alleged to be ULIMO supporters. Mr. Taylor denied these allegations, insisting that if he knew of any NPFL rebels killing civialians, they would have been prosecuted.
"Not to my knowleged. I can't say it did not happen but if someone did, he would have been prosecuted by the NPFL courts. The NPFL was the only organization in Africa and Liberia that had courts," the former president said.
Ms. Hollis also pointed to allegations that NPFL commander Mark Guan killed 9 civilians in 1998, that in March 2001, 14 civilians were killed by Momoh Jibba, that in July 2000, 170 people were killed at Tubmanburg on orders of Mr. Taylor's Director of Special Security Service (SSS) Benjamin Yeaten, and that in July 2003, over 70 wounded combatants were massacred on Mr. Yeaten's orders. Mr. Taylor dismissed these allegations as "totally incorrect."
Ms. Hollis suggested to Mr. Taylor that his "subordinates" in Sierra Leone understood how Mr. Taylor conducted himself in Liberia and so they saw no reason not to commit the same attrocities in Sierra Leone.
"Sierra Leonean perpetrators understood that was the way you conducted yourself in Liberia," Ms. Hollis told Mr. Taylor.
"I disagree with that interpretation. No NPFL of mine went to Sierra Leone. Liberians went there but not anyone did i send there except in 1991-92," Mr. Taylor responded.
Mr. Taylor is alleged to have had control over NPFL rebels in Liberia as well as RUF rebels in Sierra Leone. According to prosecutors, Mr. Taylor was in a suprior position over RUF rebels and he knew or had reason to know that they were committing attrocities in Sierra Leone but failed to prevent the commission of those attrocities or failed to punish them when he knew that such attrocities had been committed. He is accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for the crimes committed by the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone.
Prosecutors put it to the former Liberian president today that because the RUF saw how his NPFL rebels conducted themselves in Liberia, the commission of "crimes in Sierra Leone was a continuation of business as usual."
"The whole of Liberia will tell you that Mr. Taylor did not tolerate crimes. That's nonsense," Mr. Taylor said.
"Prosecutions were just a cover," Ms. Hollis told Mr. Taylor when the accused former president insisted that he ensured that all perpetrators in the NPFL were prosecuted and punished.
"You cannot have it both ways," Mr. Taylor responded. "On the one had, Taylor encouraged impunity by not punishing for crimes, and when he did, it was a cover up. You can't have it both ways," he added.
Mr. Taylor's cross-examination continues tomorrow.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 CharlesTaylorTrial.org. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Vamuuma1997,
How is it that you only want to rely on dead people to convince us of what you said Charles Tayor did? Is it that maybe you know you are lying?
Aki,Taylor is a skilled killer.He has serious depopulated Liberia and Sierra Leone.He is a killer disease
Aki,when we're on this site we shouldn't forget our usage of the valuable "Queen's English". Vamuma used the word "If" which could easily suggest to you that there is no evidence on this point because he lost his most guaranteed evidence on this topic.Vamuma is not telling us to depend on dead people but rather he is trying to reflect our attention to some of the crimes your bandit president was capable of committing in Liberia and what he supported in Sierra Leone.
I totally agree with Vamuma to say that your Taylor is a sensible killer of human beings. What happened to Gabriel Kpolleh,Dr.Stephen Yekeson,Dr.Moses Duopu,and many others who were on Taylor's occupied arears? He will one day tell the Liberian people that he knew nothing about their deaths.Eventhough,he is not been tried for crimes he committed in Liberia.For Liberians, they said,"Let bye guns be bye guns".Why should they come back with TRC?
Aki,
In English grammer,we have what we called condional clauses.The word"if"is used to denote one such clauses.
I know very well that Mualem Sannoh,Mustapha Kemokai(Jack) and wife Kaddie are all dead.That's why I said "if only"they were alive,they must have added a lot to those evidences available at the SCSL to further incriminate Taylor.But I think,I did mention also that Taylor is a skilled killer.As such,he went to work to awfully kill all tyhose men and women who could have unveiled his true portrait and devilish deeds to the court pursuing him in The Hague.I do not in any way rely on dead men to speak against Taylor.There already exist enough proofs to see Taylor behind bars on a long-term basis or perhaps even for life.
You and other noisy guys who trust the might of Taylor never imagined Taylor could leave Monrovia,let alone be arrested and cuffed like a drug dealer.But you saw it happen.
vamuma1997,
So "if" those people could wake up from the dead you feel they could give more info then what has been brought forward in the Taylor trial by the prosecution ? Well given that logic how come the people such as the RUF and AFRC leaders who are alive and were on trial never said that Charles Taylor was the one at fault. Concerning Guinea, I guess you feel the recent killins of innocent opposition protesters were done on the orders of Charles Taylor also. As you know Liberians have bee accused of carrying out some the acts on behalf of the Guinean military strongman.
Aki, on the issue with that of Guinea,it does not sound impossible to me because your bandit Charles Taylor was creating an 'empire of armed bandits' that he could control with his remote from his "white flowers" house in Kongor town. Since the empire broke down,his bandits have gone astray with some picking food from the streets and some on drugs in monrovia. The only thing that can energize their souls is to hear and get into conflicts that they can take part in.
If this is proven to be true. Then Aki, I fear that you might loose your identity to that, of people calling you a criminal of which I guess you're not. Stop backing that criminal Taylor. Or you're one of those that was chanting the song on the St.paul bridge that "anybody that en like ghankay,we go treat you lek keh dog" in 2003.
But no cause to be afraid of them.We have CIAs on them.Slowly,they'll disappear one by one in Monrovia,Sierra Leone,Guinea and Ivory Coast.
Hello everybody,
I just want to get my point clear on the issue of Charles Taylor. Charles Taylor was already a convicted criminal before he even started the killing spree of innocent Liberians and Sierra Leonians.
So, how can anyone in his or her right mind support support such a bandit !!!
Only those who took part in his killing spree will come to his defense. But remember God is watching.
See all comments (10).
Onto this holy day of the Lord,if only the remains of the late Mualem Sannoh-once an occupant of Block A of the VOA-1 refugees camp in Brewerville could wake up to speak,every truth would emerge that Taylor indeed sent troops to fight in Guinea especially at the fall of 2001.Then was when the late Sam Bockarie and Daniel Chea had often visited said camp with bags of rice and money to trick weary refugee and internally displaced youths into fighting in both Guinea and the Ivory Coast.
Not only that,if only the remains of one Mustapha Kemokai,commonly called,Jack and murdered wife,Kaddie could wake up to speak,the truth would emerge that not only did Taylor sent tropps to fight in Guinea and the Ivory Coast but that he(Taylor) also ordered the killing of Bockarie,Jack and wife Kaddie and a host of youths loyal to the late Sam Bockarie.
Taylor's link with even Al-Quaida or other terrorist entities should not be ruled out.