FRONTPAGEAFRICA is taken aback by the lawsuit filed by Grand Gedeh District 2 Representative, George E. S. Boley, known to all as the commander of the defunct warring faction, Liberia Peace Council (LPC), against his colleague at the House, Rep. Dixon Sebo of Montserrado, District 16, who accused him of killing his relatives during the Liberian civil war.
OUR SURPRISE does not come from the fact that we do not expect Rep. Sebo’s comments in session to be used against him in court as prescribed by law, rather the audacity of Rep. Boley, being quite aware that the LPC which he headed accounts for 10 percent of all the atrocities committed during the senseless war.
IT BEATS OUR imagination that Rep. Boley will be suing for action of damages for wrong based on an allegation when the lives of thousands were completely damaged and taken away through the acts of his LPC.
IF REP. BOLEY can decide to seek justice for himself based on a mere allegation, one can imagine how thousands of victims of the war are yearning for justice for the damages done to their lives.
THE TRC DOCUMENTED in its final report that the LPC, which was situated in South-eastern Liberia, committed 16,708 violations including forced displacement, killing, forced labor, abduction, gang rape and looting, among others.
SADLY, HE HAS shown no remorse for his actions nor the gruesome killings of thousands of innocent Liberians.
BOLEY HAS CATEGORICALLY said that he has no regrets for his actions during the war. He holds a strong opinion that his involvement was necessary.
HE SAID THE TRC’S report is a rubbish and not evidence based, and does not regret his action during the war.
“THE TRC REPORT is not evidenced based. The TRC report you are quoting all around here is an absolute rubbish… I regret nothing during the civil war. If I hadn’t been alive and done what I did during the civil war, someone like you and someone like Dixon Sebo wouldn’t be alive today.”
AT THE HEART of the concept of war crimes is the idea that individuals can be held criminally responsible for the actions of a country or its soldiers.
WAR CRIMES and crimes against humanity are among the gravest crimes in international law.
THEY ARE CONSIDERED so serious that there is no period of limitation for such crimes – which means that those who commit them can be prosecuted and punished no matter how much time has elapsed since the crimes were committed.
SERVING JUSTICE is never a witch-hunt. It is a deterrence from a reprehensible act. Unless we have not learned our lessons from the civil war, and unless we want to continue acting ignorant as if there are no elements in our society still capable to taking up arms to support an insurrection, let’s continue to toy with the establishment of war crimes court.
HOW MANY TIMES haven’t we heard of Liberians crossing over to neighboring Ivory Coast to fight? The last time was just two months ago. If that does not ring a bell for the need for a tribunal that would serve as a deterrence, then let’s know that our Ides of March is just a matter of time.
A HINT TO THE WISE.