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Charles Taylor executed Liberian politicians whom he perceived as threats to his political ambitions, killed rebels who failed to carry out his orders, and persecuted human rights activists who opposed his policies, prosecutors alleged today at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Mr. Taylor denied the allegations.
Lead prosecution counsel, Brenda Hollis, today questioned Mr. Taylor about the execution of several Liberian politicians including Jackson Doe, Gabriel Kpolleh, Moses Duopoe and Samuel Dokie. These men, Ms. Hollis alleged, were executed on the orders of Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor dismissed these allegations as stories made up by Tom Woweiyu, another rebel leader with broke ranks with the former Liberian president but later joined Mr. Taylor's National Patriotic Party (NPP) Government.
"After we broke up, after Tom Woweiyu formed a rebel group and attacked the NPFL [National Patriotic Front of Liberia] and broke away in 1994, " Mr. Taylor said. "Tom Woweiyu made a lot of wild allegations that later he apologized for, I forgave him, and brought him into my government."
"I am aware of the nonsense he wrote. He later apologized and I brought him into my government . He became senator from the NPP," Mr. Taylor said.
After denying allegations that he executed Gabriel Kpolleh, whom he allegedly saw as threat to his power, Mr. Taylor also referred to allegations that he killed Jackson Doe as another story by Mr. Woweiyu.
"Mr. Taylor, you were also responsible for the killing of Jackson F. Doe, weren't you?" Ms. Hollis asked Mr. Taylor.
"That is not correct. That's Tom Woweiyu again. That is not correct. Jackson Doe was a very well respected man," Mr. Taylor responded.
Mr. Jackson Doe, a former Liberian politician is reported to have won democratic elections against then Liberian president, Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe. The elections, reports indicate, were rigged against Mr. Jackson Doe. Mr. Taylor's NPFL has previously stated that one of the reasons for its fighting in Liberia was to reverse the election victory that was stolen by Sergeant Samuel K. Doe at Mr. Jackson Doe's expense. According to other reports, Mr. Taylor later killed Mr. Jackson Doe in order to eliminate any threat to his power. Mr. Taylor has denied these allegations.
Mr. Taylor was also questioned about the death of Mr. Samuel Dokie, another politician who was reportedly executed with his family. Ms. Hollis asked Mr. Taylor whether any action was taken against those who committed those murders.
"Was Benjamin Yeaten ever arrested for the killing of the Dokies?" Ms. Hollis asked Mr. Taylor.
"No, Benjamin Yeaten was not arrested," Mr. Taylor said. "Those that were involved I think were arrested."
"Benjamin Yeaten – I said that he had asked for Dokie to be arrested and brought to Monrovia, according to reports, but those that went to carry out the orders went beyond the orders and I think that those were the people that were sought," Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Taylor also denied allegations that he had ordered the execution of some of his rebel commanders, including Oliver Varnie and Sam Larto. These commanders, Ms. Hollis alleged, were executed because they had failed to carry out Mr. Taylor's orders. Mr. Taylor denied the accusation, saying that they were executed because they had been involved in subversive operations.
Mr. Taylor explained that Mr. Varney was executed "because he was part of a group that planned to overthrow the leadership of the NPFL."
On the execution of Mr. Larto, Mr. Taylor explained that he was executed because he had been involved in the killing of civilians. Ms. Hollis suggested that Mr. Larto was killed because Mr. Taylor was concerned that he had connived against him. Mr. Taylor responded that while it was true that Mr. Larto had connived against him, the main reason for his execution was because he was involved in the killing of those civilians. He added that Mr. Larto was tried and convicted before he was executed.
As in the past several days, Ms. Hollis again today accused Mr. Taylor of persecuting human rights advocates who were critical of his government.
One person who is said to have gone into hiding, allegedly to escape arrest by Mr. Taylor's government, was one Mr. Adebayo. Mr. Adebayo, Ms. Hollis said, "went into hiding after the Liberian Watch for Human Rights issued a statement describing the ATU [Anti Terrorist Unit] as unconstitutional." The group, Ms. Hollis said, had called for the disbandment of the ATU. Mr. Taylor responded that he had no idea of such an incident and that he did not even know Mr. Adebayo.
"I have no recollection of anybody calling on me called Adebayo—that's not even a Liberian name — to dissolve the ATU. I don't have any recollection of that," Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Taylor insisted that he had no idea that the Liberian police had gone after Mr. Adebayo after the Director of the Liberian Police, Paul Mulba, had said that Mr. Adebayo will be "apprehended to answer."
Mr. Taylor also said he did not recall knowing a James Torh, a human rights activist who had been forced to go into hiding because his organization, The Focus, had become critical of Mr. Taylor's government. The former president further denied knowledge of the arrest of another human rights activist, Aloysious Toe, who had criticized the actions of Mr. Taylor's son, Chuckie Taylor. Mr. Taylor Jr., who was head of his father's ATU, has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in a United States court for crimes of torture committed in Liberia. Mr. Toe later went into hiding, Ms. Hollis told the court today.
Prosecutors have been questioning Mr. Taylor about his actions as head of the NPFL and as president of Liberia. While those actions are not the subject of the charges against Mr. Taylor, prosecutors seek to establish that the former president's actions in his own country were reflective of the actions of Sierra Leonean rebels, who Mr. Taylor is accused of supporting.
Mr. Taylor's cross-examination continues tomorrow.
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this is a million dollar question mr.taylor and his supporters cant answer up to now,the question is why killed jackson f.doe,gabriel kpolled,moses duopoe,samuel dokie if only the revolution was to get DOE and his dictatorship out of power and bring in a real democratic systems of government? i clearly understood the reasons why my gio brothers and sisters supported taylor's revolution against the regime of doe which suppressed them according to prince johnson and other sounds gio people but if that was the reason gio and krahn went to war then why the very liberated forces turned thier guns against thier truth sons and daughters from Nimba county? jackson doe,moses duopoe and samuel dokie are not krahn people and infact were not supporter of Doe's regime.well, what ever the answer may be,i want to remind the two sister tribe gio and krahn never again turn inn guns against each other nomatter of the situation,let us sit together as brothers and sisters and settle down our differences in a peaceful way.taylor war was not a revenge for the death of peaceful nimbian under doe's regime but a revenge for the death of americo-liberian during 1980 coupe de etate when the truth sons of the land of liberty decided to end one party system by the used of force after 133yrs of dictatorship in which the native man was not part of decisions making in his own country.longlive gio and krahn,longlive mama liberia and liberian.let peace,love and togetherness prevail in our country forever and ever-amen.
Thank you very much my brother. I am always asking myself and other Liberians the same question. Why killed Jackson F. Doe ???? Why , Taylor, why??? What did Jackson F. Doe do to you. Taylor should remember that death is not for one person. J.F.D. is resting in peace in the bossom of father Abraham. Where is Charles Taylor is resting? In the den of his father, the Devil. That scum bag is in the Hague lying about everything.All of Charles Taylor and his supporters should understand that it is only truth that can set a man free, not lies.
Well, that was the stupidity that I saw in most of them at that time.They should've being there to tell Taylor,that those were their educated brothers and there was no need of killing them.Taylor was able to manupulate those uneducated boys to go against their own brothers and sisters.Just picture the run-away killer,Benjamin Yeaten. He is no more than "Early Man".
Well...Here we go again Agentxx. I am deeply surprise you back in Liberian politics after I sent you home for few days while you were still visiting this site.
My advise to you is dont start something you know you wont end. A month or less than a month ago we started a debate regarding Taylor's trial that should be 40 comments or more up to this date, but because you are influential to this site or this news agency, you deleted my last post only because it was OVERWHELMING and too factual for you to counter-punch. But just a warning that dont ever tell anyone that you won the debate, because not only did I reduce you to a mere ridicule, but I lower your temperature to 2 degree celsius instead of it being 36 to 38 degree celsius.
You claimed you are a reporter, but I am just a mediocre Liberian college youth. It was a shame that you could not win me in a cyber-debate. I just brought this point out because I can remember in one of your posts amid our debate, you stated that you won one of your Sierra Leonean's brothers in a debate. Whether it was true or not....I dont know. But I can assume that was the same strategy you used to claim that you won that brother, deleting his comments to give you an added advantage because that the same strategy you want to use on me. But that is not possible because every comment you post, I will reply you with this same message.
So until you can put my comment back and engage me, you are nothing but an "IDIOT!" who is only qualify to be a YANNAH-BOY instead of a REPORTER....DUMMY...hahahahahahahaahaa!!!!!!!!!
Well PrimaFacie,being an idiot for not knowing the law is not an excuse for the unlookers or listeners.If I had power over this site I'll face people like you one on one and I'll also email you personally.This of your accusation really reminds me of a "poor man's story",who do not like to buy big things but prefers smaller things.
Just for the sake of knowledge that which my Sierra Leonean Fore-Fathers helped to spread around...I'll educate you on how this AllAfrica Site operates with respect to our posted comments.I'm quite sure that you started using or gain computer knowledge this year.Don't be ashame...It's not your fault!But if you tell me that in the 90's your parents worked with WHO and from that time you're still cyberphobic,then you're a liar like your bandit former President,Charles Taylor.Because from that time they would've put you or made you to gain the knowledge. But still you're a dummy in that field.
PrimaFAcie,for the information,AllAfrica.Com reserves the right to delete any post(s) that contravenes the rules and guidelines of the site.We,the readers or customers on this site do not have the power to delete eachothers' post(s).If you have a problem with the site for not publishing or displaying your mess on there site,it's because you posted or behaved and placed on yourself the real Liberian idiotic coat.I wish I could give you the address of that beautiful Lady at the AllAfrica.Com customer service.I'll stop short because you're a complete mess from this of your post that I've just read. I'll give you the benefit of the Liberian doubt.
You snail; I'm not a Journalist and I wish not to be one.Because,those guys are professionals and I'm not a professional.I believe in been a security for any operation. That is what I do.So do not misquote me.I've never told you or post to tell you that I'm a Journalist.Prove me wrong and tell me in which of my post(s) that suggests that I'm a Journalist.Or you just believe in being a pathological liar.Well, it's no surprise to me because you inhereted those manners.
Secondly,PrimaFAcie,you did not send me home. I replied to your post.Check on the site and you'll see my post.Maybe,you again don't know how to use your search or mouse to navigate through those posts.If you need education on that, I'll be willing to ask AllAfrica.Com to give me a special corner to teach you Liberian dumbAss some goog notes.I think I might need some one who's much younger than you and who is of the age with me and not attending any Liberia UnilieVersity.Oh!Please don't scare me with your college news. I feel and I'm sick of hearing of those kangaroo college gains of some of you people in that country-called Liberia.
Thirdly,I did not post to tell you that I won my Sierra Leonean brother in a debate.I can't win any Sierra Leonean in a debate because those guys know what is a debate and they know how to do their presentation,orally and in print.They're not like you "Gugumehs".Go back to my post and read it with an understanding,from there you can again post to question me on what I posted.So,for now Gioboy,Manoboy,Krahnboy or Greboboy,do more studies.For me I'm lucky to enter all countries in Africa to see where the politics is sweet,especially West Africa."Ee Wurudaine!" Or should I call you "Nyaree?"
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