LIKE JOSHUA MILTON BLAHYI aka “General Butt Naked”, Prince Y. Johnson has acknowledged multiple killings during Liberia’s bloody civil war and there are many images and videos to show. But while Blahyi has repented over a lot of his crimes allegedly committed during the civil war and turned his life around; Johnson, the warlord-turned Senator has not. In fact, he is now embarking on a campaign to discredit all efforts toward the establishment of a war crimes court for Liberia.
THE SENATOR’S latest move in his quest to dismiss efforts at setting up a war crimes court in Liberia, came at the weekend when he told journalists in his stronghold of Nimba County that there is a need for Liberians to work together for the betterment of the nation.
THE NIMBA COUNTY LAWMAKER repeated what he has said on numerous occasions that he fought the war and killed people in-order to defend Nimbaian who were targets of the Samuel Kanyon Doe regime. Said Senator Johnson: ‘’We Nimbaians are united people we should not allow the coming of war crimes court in this Country.”
THE NUMBER OF innocent Liberians killed by Johnson and his INPFL is well documented. Also well documented is the fact that the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe’s forces killed innocent citizens of Nimba County. But in the tradition of an eye for an eye, Johnson and his forces resorted to killing some innocent Liberians who had nothing to do with Doe or the killing of Nimbaians.
JOHNSON, LIKE Doe multi-tasked as judge, jury and executioner.
AS A RESULT, some prominent Liberians lost their lives foolishly – at the hands of Johnson. Amongst them: T. Momolu Gardiner, a former director of the Liberian National Police, Col. Fred Blay, a former Minister of Labor and Eric Scott, a former Liberian diplomat to Washington DC.
SCOTT WAS CAPTURED along with Jassey Karnley on Fendell campus by the INPFL. Scott was reportedly captured while in action with weapons under international law. He became a Prisoner of War and Johnson reportedly executed him Scott was one of those who misled General Thomas Quiwonkpa in the failed November 12, 1985 rebel invasion.
OTHERS ALLEGEDLY KILLED by Johnson were: Sam Tody, a former Commission of Custom, RL, Micheal Doe, a businessman, Col. Larry Borteh, who was once arrested and accused of late President Doe of using voodoo magic against him, popular musician Tecumseh Roberts whose hits Coming Home was a club banger during the 80’s, Robert Toe, another popular musician with hits “Midnight Justice” and “Who Born Soldier”, Watta Allison, wife of former Defense Minister Gray D. Allison, Paul Williams and former President Samuel K. Doe, Col. Roosevelt Sarvice, former Monrovia City Mayor, Edwin Vaye, a residence of BAO Construction, Col. Peter Thomas, Deputy former Police Deputy Director, Philip Bowen, former President of LBDI and former Maritime Commissioner, Representative Swen Dixon, Col. Elijah Borbor Young, driver to President Tolbert and Doe, Col. George Thomas, Deputy Director of the SSS and Augustus Barchue, brother of Representative Hans Barchue (Independent, Grand Bassa), a former Deputy Speaker in the House of Representative.
A LOT OF THOSE BELIEVED to have been killed by Mr. Johnson were not killed in combat. They were singled out, interrogated by Johnson alone and shot to death.
IN AUGUST 1990, Johnson himself announced, according to the Los Angeles Times, that he executed Senator, Fred J. Blay, for espionage and was in the process of killing Congressman William Jabrah on the same charge. Jabrah was paraded before a news conference with his hands bound, according to the newspaper report.
REGARDING TECUMSEH Roberts, Johnson told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in August 2008 that the popular musician Tecumseh Roberts was executed by Samuel Varnii, the deputy leader of the defunct INPFL, and not him although there have been no way of verifying. Mr. Johnson said Varnii shot Roberts in his (Johnson) presence because, according to him, he was involved in homosexuality.
JOHNSON CLAIMED THAT Mr. Roberts was engaged in the distribution of rice in his control territories on Bushrod Island during the heydays of the civil conflict until he was discovered to be a “gay.” Johnson said when Roberts was arrested he was in the company of a Caucasian man who was later released. Mr. Johnson said following the discovery of musician Roberts, a stream of blood flowed down his pants leading to the confirmation of suspicion by Gen. Varnii that the musician was a “homosexual.” “Gen. Varnii ordered Tecumseh Roberts to take off his trouser and when he (latter) took off his trouser, it was discovered that his butt [anal] was rotten. The man whole anus was rotten,” the senator told commissioners. Following the discovery that he was a homosexual, Johnson said, Gen. Varnii shot and killed Mr. Roberts, Johnson testified.
JOHNSON ALSO told the TRC that Senator Blay was executed along with Borteh, and Savice, for allegedly conniving with beleaguered President Samuel K. Doe.
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST, Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe, made an interesting point last week, while making a presentation at a one-day Workshop on transitional Justice Organized by Civitas Maxima, the Swiss-based organization behind the arrest of numerous war criminals currently on trial in Europe and the United States.
MR. GONGLOE DECLARED that there are many Liberians who fought in the civil conflict without committing war crimes. “Some combatants even went out their ways to help Liberians with food and to protect them from other combatants. Just because a person fought for any of the warring faction in Liberia does not make a person a war criminal.”
IT IS VERY EASY to decipher and determine which category Mr. Johnson falls in. Said Cllr. Gongloe: “A war criminal is a person who violates the law of war. Therefore, those whom we refer to as war criminals in Liberia are those who killed civilians and committed other gruesome acts during the fourteen years of civil conflict in Liberia. These people are well-known to the Liberian people and others, including employees of non-governmental organizations and journalists who covered the war. They cannot be forgotten and they cannot hide. The testimonies that were given by Liberians against Jungle Jarbah and Tom Woweiyu in the United States of America, recently, show that the events of the war are still fresh in the minds of the victims, families of victims and those who witnessed the perpetrators of war crimes in Liberia.”
THIS IS WHY we feel strongly disappointed in Senator Johnson for doing his best to hide behind his county and tribal lines in a bid to escape justice.
NOT ONLY is the Senator exhibiting a high-degree of cowardice, he is taking it upon himself to advocate for a cause against the very people he killed in cold blood without giving them a shot at justice – or a day in court.
The TRC was agreed upon in the August 2003 peace agreement and created by the TRC Act of 2005. The TRC was established to “promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation,” and at the same time make it possible to hold perpetrators accountable for gross human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law that occurred in Liberia between January 1979 and October 2003.
THUS, THE SELF-APPOINTED spokesman against war crimes court for Liberia is off the mark in his advocacy and must desist now, if for nothing, at least out of respect and display of decency for those whose lives were prematurely taken by the guns of a bloody civil war.