Author: Prue Clarke

Joshua Blahyi “General Butt Naked” appeared in court today to refute claims he bribed witnesses By Gerald C. Koinyeneh with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia – One of the men accused of bribing and tampering with witnesses in the ongoing war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi rejected the allegations in court on Wednesday. Joshua Milton Blahyi, also known by his war name, “General Butt Naked”, was accused of colluding with Hassan Bility to bribe witnesses in Mr. Massaquoi’s ongoing trial by the court from Finland, and other high profile cases tried in the United States and Europe involving people connected to…

Gibril Massaquoi is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the murders of civilians and enemy fighters and aggravated rapes By Mae Azango Senior Justice Correspondent with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia – A third defense witness took the stand on Tuesday in the ongoing war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi to claim that Hassan Bility, the human rights advocate whose work gathering evidence has been instrumental in the trials of a dozen accused war criminals in international courts, had asked him to tell lies that would implicate Alieu Kosiah who was convicted of war crimes in Switzerland in June. The witness,…

The four-judge Finnish panel hears testimony in a secret location in Liberia in the trial of Gibril Massaquoi Mae Azango, Senior Justice Correspondent with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia – Monday brought more surprising testimony at the trial of Gibril Massaquoi, the former Sierra Leonean commander of the Revolutionary United Front. A defense witness told the court from Finland, where Massaquoi was living when he was charged, that American organizations had planted him inside justice advocate Hassan Bility’s organization to spy on Bility eight years ago. The witness claimed the unnamed organizations did this because Bility’s Global Justice Research Project, working with Swiss-based…

Finnish prosecutors presented evidence of witness interference by fmr. Special Court for Sierra Leone Chief Investigator Alan White By Mae Azango, New Narratives Senior Justice Correspondent MONROVIA, Liberia – The war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi took a dramatic turn on Friday when a defense witness accused top human rights advocate Hassan Bility of bribing him and other witnesses to lie about Mr. Massaquoi’s actions in the civil war. The first witness, 48, codenamed L1 to protect his identity, said Mr. Bility offered him $US16,000 to lie against Mr. Massaquoi, the former Revolutionary United Front commander on trial by the…

Massaquoi defense lawyer Kaarle Gummerus in the Liberia hearings                               Leslie Lumeh/New Narratives By Mae Azango Senior Justice Correspondent with New Narratives  MONROVIA, Liberia – A witness at the ongoing war crimes trial of ex-Sierra Leonean rebel leader Gibril Massaquoi has told the Finnish court hearing the case that then Liberian President Charles Taylor heard that Massaquoi was a spy and ordered his arrest. Massaquoi was given warning and escaped Liberia hours before he could be caught. In an unexpected twist in the trial, which has been running since February, the witness, who claimed he was an ex Major General of…

Kaarle Gummerus, lawyer for Gibril Massaquoi, speaks with New Narratives’ Anthony Stephens MONROVIA, Liberia – The lawyer for accused war criminal Gibril Massaquoi’s says he is confident of his client will be acquitted. Speaking outside the court at the start of week two of the court’s unexpected return to Liberia, Kaarle Gummerus did not accept this reporter’s invitation to make a full-throated claim of Massaquoi’s innocence, but he insisted that the prosecution would not be able to prove his client’s guilt to the high standard required by Finnish law.

Thomas Rejects Judgment. Activists Call on Government to Prosecute. Moses Thomas pic provided by Center for Justice and Accountability By Mae Azango and Anthony Stephens with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia – It was one of the most brutal massacres of the Liberian civil war. In April 1990 soldiers loyal to embattled President Samuel Doe shot and hacked to death 600 men, women, children and babies seeking refuge in the church. It would become known as the Lutheran Church massacre and bring international attention to the conflict that was unfolding. The massacre is blamed for a cascade of revenge killings that…

Finnish judges in Monrovia hearing Massaquoi trial           Leslie Lumeh/New Narratives Mae Azango Senior Justice correspondent with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia – The trial of Gibril Massaquoi has continued to focus on the central explosive question of whether the defendant escaped UN witness protection in Freetown in June-August 2003 to commit war crimes in neighboring Liberia. Massaquoi was under witness protection for his role informing on ex-combatants in Sierra Leone’s civil war for the post-war justice tribunals held in the country including the Special Court for Sierra Leone which convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes. Massaquoi’s lawyers have argued…

Gibril Massaquoi consults with his lawyer in jail in Tampere, Finland from where he is joining hearings by videolink. Leslie Lumeh/New Narratives. By Joaquin M. Sendolo with New Narratives MONROVIA, Liberia – On day two of the return visit of the Finnish Court trying Gibril Massquoi for war crimes the focus continued to be on whether Massaquoi escaped the safehouse in Freetown where he was under UN protection in exchange for informing on fellow combatants in Sierra Leone’s civil war. Two witnesses in the court today claimed that “Angel Gabriel”, Massaquoi’s alleged war time alias, was in Waterside area of…

The Finnish court trying Gibril Massaquoi for war crimes committed in the Liberian civil war has made its unscheduled return to a secret location here to test two critical questions that have arisen in the trial since it left West Africa and returned to Finland in May.