Finland

Liberia: NPFL General on TRC “Most Notorious” List Dies; Angry Victims Say He Escaped Justice

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 20:10:01 +0000

Liberia: NPFL General on TRC “Most Notorious” List Dies; Angry Victims Say He Escaped Justice

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__1278.png

admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 20:10

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Original Publisher

News – FrontPageAfrica

Original Article

Liberia: NPFL General on TRC “Most Notorious” List Dies; Angry Victims Say He E…

***CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story carried an image of a family member of Melvin Sogbandi. FrontPage Africa and New Narratives regret the error ***

By Eric Opa Doue, Senior New Narratives Justice Reporter

JUAH TOWN, Grand Bassa – James Diggs broke down in tears when he heard the news of the death of Melvin Sogbandi. Sogbandi led “Strike Force Marine”, one of the deadliest divisions of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) during the civil war.

Now 64 and blind, Mr. Diggs cannot forget when, he says, Sogbandi terrorized people here. Mr. Diggs says Sogbandi made him and others walk for days with loads on their heads.

“No one dare say ‘I am tired’ or you got killed and eaten by the rebels,” according to Mr. Diggs.

“I experienced so, so bad, bad things, because they beat me, they did all kinds of things to me,” Mr. Diggs says. “They put me in the kitchen, they put fire under it and the smoke left small to kill me.”

The former NPFL General died on January 31 at the Fidelity Hospital, in Monrovia, aged 53. Sogbandi was listed number 88 on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “Most Notorious Perpetrators” list for allegedly committing human rights violations of killing, torture, massacre and looting.

Diggs lost his sight five years after the end of the war. He now lives here in a town called SOS, one of the former rebel bases, with his wife and two of his ten children.

Rose Korkollie says her brother was killed by Sogbandi’s forces. Unlike Mr. Diggs Madame Korkollie, 67, and living with her grandchildren in District 2, says she is glad Sogbandi is dead. She says his early death is a reward for all the atrocities she says he and his men committed.

“Bad can always pay bad, good can always pay good,” Madame Korkollie says. “The way they themselves they do bad, bad thing to us and even make for our brother to die that kind of nasty way. The things they used to do to people, the place where he was thinking he was never going to go, that’s the place he laying down.”

Alphonso Gargar was a boy aged 10 when he says Sogbandi’s rebels killed and ate one of his small friends right before his eyes. Gargar, now in his late 30s and a motorist in District 2 still carries rage. He says he would set Sogbandi’s corpse ablaze if he had the opportunity.

The TRC found Sogbandi had been involved in a June 1993 massacre of 600 people at Harbel in Margibi County. The Report also found he gave orders for the killing of 26 unarmed civilians in Gbah, Bomi County in January 2000.

Sogbandi is the second alleged war criminal to have died in Liberia in less than a month. Former General Alhaji G. V. Kromah, head of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (or ULIMO) faction died on January 18 at the age of 68. According to the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Kromah’s ULIMO is responsible for over 11,500 different forms of abuses and atrocities committed during the war. Neither man faced justice for their alleged crimes. Kromah and Sogbandi join a growing list of ex-warlords who have died without facing justice. Some of them include former-Vice President Moses Blah, Edward Mlehn, Christopher Vambo, alias Gen. Mosquito, George Dweh and Gen. Charles Julu.

The recent deaths of suspected war criminals are a disappointment to those pursuing justice for the victims of the civil war says Hassan Bility of the Global Justice Research Project (GJRP). Mr. Bility says government should take the lead in passing a bill to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court to prosecute those accused of committing human rights violations during the wars in Liberia.

“I really blame the Liberian Government, the Executive and the legislative branches of government. They are responsible for policy, they should have been able to implement these,” Mr. Bility says. “But the whole thing has been politicized to the extent that the implementation has become difficult.”

Mr. Bility says that all those accused of war crimes in Liberia might die without being prosecuted. Despite pressure from national justice advocates, donor governments and the UN, two successive governments – that of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George M. Weah- have ignored calls for a court.

In June 2021, the Liberian National Bar Association led a group of civil society organizations to formally present a bill to the Legislature for the court but it has yet to come up for discussion in the House chamber. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has the sole authority to decide what appears on the House agenda, according to the body’s rules, but current Speaker, Bhofal Chambers, a one-time advocate for the court, has yet to do so. That failure has provoked criticism from advocates for the court.

Campaigns for the court seem to have been overshadowed by politics as Liberia braces for next year’s presidential election. President Weah, seeking re-election, has enjoyed the support of some former rebel leaders—notably, Senator Prince Johnson of vote-rich Nimba County. Senator Johnson tops the TRC’s list of most notorious perpetrators.

President Weah will be looking forward to being re-endorsed by Mr. Johnson during the election, although the latter’s popularity has dwindled in recent elections.

The Legislature has the constitutional power to set up the court, even if the President vetoes its action. It can override his veto.

Africa

News

Switch to gas to slash fuel bill, government urged

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 04:50:01 +0000

Switch to gas to slash fuel bill, government urged

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__11962.jpg

admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 04:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

Original Publisher

The Citizen

Original Article

Switch to gas to slash fuel bill, government urged

Dar es Salaam. Parliament’s Budget Committee wants all government vehicles to be converted to use compressed natural gas as part of efforts to cut massive spending on fuel.

The advice comes at a time when fuel prices are rising due to disruptions in the global supply chain, fuelled by Western nations’ sanctions on key producer Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Locally, Dar es Salaam residents are currently paying Sh2,994 and Sh3,131 for a litre of petrol and diesel respectively. The current prices for petrol are, however, Sh745, or 33 percent, more than they were in June last year when a litre fetched Sh2,249. They are also Sh1,058, or 51 percent, higher than they were in June 2021 when a litre of diesel fetched Sh2,073.

Presenting the Sh41.48 trillion Budget for the financial year 2022/23, the Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba outlined a number of cost-cutting measures that the government seeks to undertake during the coming year.

And responding to the Budget yesterday, the Budget Committee said by converting government vehicles to the use of natural gas, the government will see the resource [natural gas] being put to effective use before it become obsolete as the world was increasingly shifting to other renewable resources.

“The committee recommends that all government vehicles be converted to use natural gas just like the way it is for trucks operated by Dangote Cement. This will reduce importation of petroleum products and improve the country’s balance of payment,” the committee said.

Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha (Nominated-CCM) shared similar sentiments, noting that the Mtwara-Dar es Salaam natural gas pipeline was under-utilised at less than 10 percent of its capacity, suggesting maximising utilisation in order to reduce dependence on oil imports that adversely affect the lives of citizens.

“We should build the natural gas economy through increased use in transport and transportation and accelerating commencement of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Lindi,” he said.

In its views, the Budget Committee also wants the government to undertake a re-evaluation of its Double Taxation Agreements with Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, India, South Africa and Zambia in a deliberate move to align the agreements with Tanzania’s current development needs and ensure that they [the agreements] do not leave loopholes for tax evasion.

“Though these treaties are beneficial to the country, the challenge we see is that they could be used as conduits for tax evasion whereby a businessman or an investor may use them in an attempt to access indirectly the benefits of a tax agreement between two jurisdictions without being a resident of one of those jurisdictions (treaty shopping), said the committee’s chairman, Mr Daniel Sillo.

The Committee is also advising the government to make necessary amendments to the law that formed the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (Tasac) with a view to streamlining the agency’s tasks so that it does not get into a conflict of interest with clearing and forwarding agencies.

As things stand, Tasac, which is a regulator for marine transportation, also engages in activities of clearing and forwarding thereby creating a public outcry from private operators. “We need to amend the law to limit Tasac’s clearing and forwarding role to only sensitive cargo of the government, including arms, government documents, minerals and mining equipment. Issues pertaining to clearing and forwarding must remain a preserve of the private sector, he said.

It is the view of the committee that the government will issue a tax amnesty to companies in the tourism sector after their operations were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic during the period between 2019 and 2020.

The Committee believes that if the government makes a critical analysis of the buildings that have been built across the country’s major urban centres, it could potentially collect up to Sh100 billion per year in property tax.

Some MPs like Mr Jerry Silaa (Ukonga-CCM), said the government is a business partner contributing no capital in businesses, urging that it should prepare friendly tax procedures, educate taxpayers and stop fighting with the businesspeople.

“Small scale businesses tax regime has been given a 3.5 percent turnover which is not a small amount. These are those with Sh500,000 to one million capital, hence telling them to buy Electronic Fiscal Device (EFD) machines spending Sh500,000 could be hardly executed,” he said.

“When is the government going to see that it is its responsibility to provide EFD machines to traders for free in order to enable the country to make tax records that will ultimately benefit the government,” he added.

According to him, putting the two percent withholding tax to small scale miners will increase the 6.1 percent royalties and inspections fees to eight percent, something that will increase smuggling and benefit some of the smuggling destination countries.

But Ms Zulfa Mmaka Omar (Special Seats-CCM) commended the government for scrapping the 40 percent tax chargeable for procurement of EFD machines.

“This has been the center of complaints among traders who will now be encouraged to purchase and use machines for strengthening their businesses,” she said.

Mr Twaha Mpembenwe (Kibiti-CCM) said Ngorongoro residents are fellow citizens who shouldn’t live in troubles as the government is determined to amicably address their concerns.

“A similar controversy was staged by a neighbouring country between 1977 and 1978 in its efforts to grab our land. Without mentioning the country’s name, I would like to warn neighboring countries trying to interfere with Tanzania’s internal affairs to stop doing that with immediate effect,” he said.

Africa

News

Former Sierra Leone Special Court Guard Tells War Crimes Court Massaquoi Escape Possible

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 01:10:01 +0000

Former Sierra Leone Special Court Guard Tells War Crimes Court Massaquoi Escape Possible

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__1145.png

admin Mon, 02/21/2022 - 01:10

Monday, January 10, 2022

Original Publisher

News – FrontPageAfrica

Original Article

Former Sierra Leone Special Court Guard Tells War Crimes Court Massaquoi Escape…

By Anthony Stephens and New Narratives staff

After nearly a year of hearings, including five months in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the ground-breaking trial of Gibril Massaquoi, a Sierra Leonean rebel charged with committing war crimes in Liberia, looks set to end this month. From there the fate of the 51-year-old former commander of the Revolutionary United Front will be in the hands of four judges of the District Court of Tampere, Finland’s second largest city.

Since the trial resumed in Tampere in October, after a second, unexpected set of hearings in Liberia, there have been just four sessions. The prosecution and defense teams have wrestled with new evidence, including notes, Finnish police say were illegally obtained, from an interrogator of the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone after the interrogation of a Liberian witness who has accused Massaquoi of torturing him.

The court has also sought to have two key officials from the Special Court appear. Alan White, the former Chief Investigator of the Special Court, and Saleem Vahidy, the former chief of the court’s Witness and Victims Unit, are seen as key to answering a central, explosive question of this trial: did Massaquoi escape the Special Court witness protection program in Sierra Leone where he was giving evidence against Liberian President Charles Taylor and others about their crimes in Sierra Leone, to travel to Liberia between June and August 2003 to commit war crimes on behalf of Taylor?

After months of negotiations, both men have declined to appear according to Presiding Judge Juhani Paiho. White “was not willing to testify” said the judge by email and Vahidy is “not able to testify due to personal reasons not related to the case.”

The idea the Special Court would have a protection system in place that allowed their star witness to leave the safehouse to travel to Liberia at the risk of murder by Taylor (who, according to testimony in the trial, had already killed others he suspected of informing to the Special Court including RUF general Sam Bockarie) or to inform Taylor what was happening inside the investigation, would seem preposterous.

Massaquoi took the stand himself to tell the court as much. Under questioning by defense lawyer Kaarle Gummerus, Massaquoi systematically rejected the prosecution’s accusations.

“No one in their right mind would do something that the prosecutor and the witness has said,” Massaquoi told the court. “It does not make sense.”
Gibril Massaquoi

A Finnish researcher, who has appeared in the trial previously, returned to repeat his assertions that travel on main routes between Monrovia and Freetown at that time would have been nearly impossible because of the heavy presence of LURD, the opposing rebel group that would go on to overwhelm Taylor’s forces and force the president into exile in August.

And yet dozens of Liberian witnesses in the Liberia hearings were adamant that they had seen Massaquoi, whom they knew by the name “Angel Gabriel”, murdering civilians and directing the murder, rape and torture of civilians in Bo Waterside in Monrovia and in villages in Lofa County between June and August 2003 as the forces of the LURD rebel movement closed in on President Taylor’s last strongholds.

In earlier testimony former Massaquoi allies had described the Special Court security as lax, saying people came and went from the safe houses where Massaquoi and his family were held. In the final hearing of 2021 the court heard from a former guard of the safe houses in which Massaquoi and his family lived from 2004 until they were relocated to Finland in 2008 in a widely criticized immunity deal with the Special Court. The witness, whose identity is being withheld by the court for his security, did not guard Massaquoi during the 2003 period in question. He described a witness protection program that gave Massaquoi surprising freedom given his admissions of violence, the threats to his life and the importance of his testimony. He testified that the security would not have been any better during the June to August 2003 period in question.

New Narratives was unable to travel to the court because of Covid restrictions but relied on court transcripts provided by Civitas Maxima, the Swiss-based justice advocates that helped gather evidence for the investigation of Massaquoi that are regarded as accurate by court watchers. They record the witness saying Massaquoi was protected by just one guard, who was not armed, in the first years of his detention which began in March 2003. Only later, after an attack on the safehouse that the witness believed was staged, did the Special Court move Massaquoi and his family to a more secure house and assign an armed guard around the clock.

“[Special Court] knows that the safe house was not protected well enough,” the witness said.

Under prosecution questioning the former guard said there was definitely a possibility for Massaquoi to leave the houses that the witness guarded without the protection officers knowing.

Prosecutor Laitinen: “Did Massaquoi have the possibility to leave without the security becoming aware of it?

Witness: “Sometimes the protection officer was present, sometimes not.”

Laitinen: “How did you make sure that whether Massaquoi was present in the Kington safe house or not?”

Witness: “When he came downstairs, or I went upstairs. There were no cameras in the safe house and no device on Massaquoi to monitor if he went out or not.”

Laitinen: “Did Massaqoui have an obligation to let you know that he was there?”

Witness: “No. We have a notebook in which we sign when a protection officer comes to work.”

Africa

News

Prosecution Witnesses Insist Massaquoi Was in Liberia in Last Days of War

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 23:30:01 +0000

Prosecution Witnesses Insist Massaquoi Was in Liberia in Last Days of War admin Fri, 10/01/2021 - 23:30

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Original Publisher

News – FrontPageAfrica

Original Article

Prosecution Witnesses Insist Massaquoi Was in Liberia in Last Days of War

– If found true the revelations would cast a cloud over the findings of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the integrity of its witness protection program.

By Mae Azango, Senior Justice Correspondent, with New Narratives

MONROVIA, Liberia – 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.

Two prosecution witnesses who appeared today insisted that Massaquoi,

who is accused of ordering the murder, torture and mutilation of civilians and participation in their cannibalisation, was in Waterside area of Monrovia in July 2003 during what was known to locals as “World War 3”. The witnesses said they were very clear that Massaquoi was in command of troops defending the embattled government of then-President Charles Taylor against an onslaught by fighters of the LURD rebel group. In August 2003 Taylor resigned and went into exile, ending 14 years of civil conflict.

“I knew Gibril Massaquoi was also known as Angel Gabriel because he was introduced to us by Benjamin Yeatan, known as “Chief 50” because he was next to Taylor,” the second witness told the four judge panel. The court ordered journalists to keep the witnesses’ identities secret for their protection.

The witness said he had been a boy when he and other boys were captured by one General Shary and taken as child soldier in 2003 when he controlled the EJ Roye building.

The witness said the first time he saw Massaquoi was in 2003 among other generals.

“The first time he performed in front of my eyes, was when the civilians went to loot and he got angry and took gun and shot civilians,” the witness said. “Massaquoi said ‘When you go, tell God, I, Angel Gabriel sent you.” Many Liberian witnesses had told the court the same story in hearings held here in March and April.

The problem for the prosecution case is that Massaquoi had been in UN witness protection in Freetown since March when he had entered an agreement with prosecutors in the Special Court for Sierra Leone to inform on Taylor and other fellow combatants. There should have been no way that Massaquoi could have slipped out of witness protection to travel to Monrovia to fight for the president he was informing on at the same time. But earlier witnesses testified that security was lax and there were long gaps in the record of Massaquoi’s detention.

The explosive allegation is at the center of this return visit by the court to Liberia where it had heard from more than 60 witnesses during an earlier hearing in March and April. If found true by the Finnish court, it could cast a cloud over the Special Court which convicted 16 ex-combatants for their role in the Sierra Leone civil war including Taylor who became the first former head of state convicted of war crimes and is serving a 50-year sentence in a UK prison.

Massaquoi has denied all charges. He and members of his family were living in Finland under a special agreement with the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone which gave him immunity from prosecution when he was arrested in March 2020 by Finnish investigators for his role in Liberia. The trial began in Finland in February but moved to Liberia and then Sierra Leone for three months to hear from witnesses and visit the scenes of the alleged crimes in Waterside, Monrovia and Lofa County.

As with earlier witnesses in Liberia, today’s witnesses gave inconsistent testimonies and Massaquoi’s defence lawyer made the most of it. The first witness, Codenamed “X2” was an insider of Charles Taylor’s army, and told the court that between June and July 2003 he saw a group of soldiers headed by General “Senegalese” shooting at their fellow soldiers and civilians in a biscuit store at Waterside.

That statement contradicted an earlier statement he made to Finnish police investigators when he said it was Massaquoi who shot the people. X2 told the police that he went along with his boss to escort Massaquoi to Lofa so that he could go back Sierra Leone.

“One Sunday evening in the month of August 2003, both civilians and soldiers were looting the biscuit store around Mechelin Street and the government forces headed by General Senegalese opened suppressive gunfire on soldiers and civilians and locked the store,” X2 told the court. “It was only Senegalese I can remember spearheading the group because it was in the night.”

He said World War One and Two (sequence of wars in 2003 in Liberia) occurred in June and lasted for one week each. He said the third phase of the war – World War Three – began early July 2003 and lasted into August.

“I saw Massaquoi the second time in Waterside in July 2003, moving along with some officers and they started shooting at civilians so they could leave the area,” X2 said. “Some civilians died in the process while others got injured. I did not see Massaquoi shooting but he gave the orders. Some soldiers who fled the scene during the shooting ran toward us and said orders were given to shoot.”

Day one also raised the other key issue that brought the hearing back to Liberia to hear from more witnesses. Defence lawyers alleged that documents they presented to the court, showed that Hassan Billity and his staff at the Global Research and Justice Project had coached the witnesses to lie. Witnesses will be probed over this allegation in coming days.

The trial is to last for two weeks with 21 witnesses testifying.

Africa

News

Court hears Gibril Massaquoi did not leave Sierra Leone in 2003

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 18:10:01 +0000

Court hears Gibril Massaquoi did not leave Sierra Leone in 2003

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__6361.jpg

admin Fri, 10/01/2021 - 18:10

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Original Publisher

Transwave Jamaica objects to new data privacy law

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 07:20:02 +0000

Transwave Jamaica objects to new data privacy law

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__4454.jpg

admin Fri, 10/01/2021 - 07:20

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Original Publisher

Jamaica Observer

Original Article

Transwave Jamaica objects to new data privacy law

Rappler.com and c oda.com, in a weekly technology feature, have highlighted the objection made by Transwave - a non-government organisation (NGO) engaged in transgender advocacy - to the latest version of legislation to facilitate a digital national identification system in Jamaica.

The Government of Jamaica is designing and developing the National Identification System (NIDS), aiming to capture and store personal identity information for citizens and persons ordinarily resident in Jamaica.

On full roll out the NIDS project promises a new identification system which, it is hoped, will make it easier and cheaper for citizens and legal residents to prove identity, thus lessening the burden of opening bank accounts and accessing social services from government agencies, among other benefits.

NIDS is expected to reduce transactional costs, assist in cutting bureaucracy, and improve the delivery of government services. Among other benefits, it will make it easier to access birth certificates, especially for mothers and people with special needs.

The proposed Bill is just the latest attempt by the Jamaican Government to roll out the NIDS.

This following 2019 when the Supreme Court struck down a law passed in 2017 that required all citizens to enrol, indicating that it violated privacy rights. The revised Act was tabled by Delroy Chuck, Jamaica's justice minister, in the House on September 21, 2021 for the start of debate in the Lower House of Parliament.

The current revision has changed the enrolment requirement from mandatory to voluntary, and was reintroduced in 2020. It is expected to be passed into law at the end of 2021.

The plan is for issuance of a lifelong national identification number to every person. The use of biometric (fingerprint or retina scan) data is also being explored.

Coda.com says critics believe that it falls short of providing clear privacy safeguards. They also argue the request for personal information could dissuade certain populations from applying for the ID, including trans Jamaicans or people experiencing homelessness who do not have a fixed address.

The website named an advocate, Renae Green, executive director of the trans rights non-profit group TransWave Jamaica, as being concerned. The latest attempt would require any Jamaican who wants to apply for an ID to give authorities documentation showing their sex assigned at birth, which would be displayed on the back of the card, it was noted.

Green said on coda.com that she "fears that this requirement could create considerable risks by 'outing' trans Jamaicans who don't identify with their sex assigned at birth, exposing them to possible discrimination and violence while they use the card in their daily lives".

"For a lot of trans people who are in the process or have transitioned, they just want to be able to exist and go about their business. What that looks like for a lot of people is not having to disclose their trans status," she said. "The Bill opens us up to be outed."

While the Jamaican Bill stipulates that digital ID enrolment is voluntary, opponents say they fear it could end up as a functionally mandatory system.

The Jamaican Government, meanwhile, has started the procurement process for NIDS infrastructure. Facilitated by a US$68-million loan from the IDB, the Office of the Prime Minister has made a call for consultants to aid with project implementation of aspects of NIDS, indicating that roll out of the technology aspect of the project has begun.

The Office of the Prime Minister, in the last week of July 2021, invited applications for a manager of card production services, project director, a manager of public key infrastructure (PKI), a PKI administrator, a security officer and a master user and enrolment coordinator. All hires will be done pursuant to the IDB's procurement policies.

The IDB-funded project, similar to ones implemented in South Korea, Finland and Uruguay, is expected to improve the quality and efficiency of public services, as well as spur the development of e-government.

It is also projected that the provision of online services by the private sector, such as e-banking and e-commerce, will benefit from the implementation of this system.

Caribbean

Business

U.S. Congressional Bipartisan Caucus on Human Rights to Hold Special Hearing on Establishing War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 05:40:01 +0000

U.S. Congressional Bipartisan Caucus on Human Rights to Hold Special Hearing on Establishing War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__379.jpeg

admin Sun, 07/25/2021 - 05:40

Monday, June 21, 2021

Original Publisher

Diaspora – FrontPageAfrica

Original Article

U.S. Congressional Bipartisan Caucus on Human Rights to Hold Special Hearing on…

MONROVIA – While several proposals calling for the establishment of war and economic crimes court have been dangling at the Capitol in Monrovia for years, Congress in Washington seem to be taking on the case of the hundreds of thousands of victims yearning for justice for the heinous atrocities meted and their loved ones during the 14 years of senseless war.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives, will today hear a proposal for the establishment of a war and economic crimes court for Liberia.

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus promotes, defends and advocates internationally recognized human rights norms in a nonpartisan manner, both within and outside of Congress, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.

The Caucus noted that President George Weah who had been equivocal with regards to the establishment of the court prior to becoming President of Liberia is now backsliding in his commitment and previous position on the establishment of the war and economic crimes court.

On its website the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission stated, “For the past few decades, Liberia’s people have suffered untold human rights violations while perpetrators acted with near-complete impunity during the country’s multiple civil wars. Between 1989 and 2003, 250,000 Liberians died from the fighting, and thousands more were conscripted as child soldiers, raped, suffered loss of limb, and other traumatic experiences. Since that time, not a single war crimes trial has occurred in Liberia as part of the country’s judicial process.

“The hearing will examine the legacy of Liberia’s civil wars on its people and economy, the structure and likely policy implications of a proposed War Crimes & Economic Crimes Court for Liberia, and grassroots efforts to secure rule of law in the country and meet victims’ needs.”

A Backsliding Weah

President Weah, prior to entering politics, served as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and led the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration in 2004.

In April 2004, Weah in his role as UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador, called for the formation of the court to arrest and prosecute warlords for recruiting and arming children in Liberia.

Weah at time said, the tribunal when established, should be given the authority to identify, locate, arrest and prosecute all those who committed heinous crimes during the devastating and bloody war in the country.

Addressing a news conference held at the UNICEF-Liberia headquarters in Monrovia on 23rd April 2004, he made specific reference to warlords who forcibly recruited, trained and armed the Liberian children to participate in the 14-year arms conflict.

“Those who armed the children and committed heinous crimes against them should be brought to book,” he said. He added that those to be prosecuted include warlords and military commanders of the various belligerent groups who, for their own selfish gains, brought children into the conflict.

How the Story Changed

Now as President of Liberia, Weah has repeatedly said while his priority remains reconciling and focusing on reconstruction rather than establishing war and economic crimes court, he would leave it up to the Liberian people to decide. On that note, President Weah in September 2019 wrote the Legislature asking the body to advice on the way forward with regards to the establishment of the court.

“I … do hereby call on the National Legislature to advise and provide guidance on all legislative and other necessary measures towards the implementation of the TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission] report, including the establishment of the Economic and War Crimes Court,” his September 12, 2019 letter to the Legislature states.

There has been no concrete action from the executive on this quest since then.

Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson, known for the commission of some of the most heinous crimes during the war is a close political ally of President Weah.

Many believe that President Weah’s sudden shift of position on the formation of the court is only intended to protect his few political allies who would be prosecuted when the court is established.

Senator Johnson who vehemently resists the establishment of the court provided Weah massive support in his vote rich Nimba.

“The hearing will examine the legacy of Liberia’s civil wars on its people and economy, the structure and likely policy implications of a proposed War Crimes & Economic Crimes Court for Liberia, and grassroots efforts to secure rule of law in the country and meet victims’ needs.”
– Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

The U.S. Embassy recently rebuked the Liberian Senate for electing Sen. Johnson to head the Senate Committee on National Security owing to his records of gross human rights abuses and war crimes.

Senator Johnson, and Representative George Boley who is also a member of the House of Representatives, have expressed no regret for their activities during the war.

The irony of Mr. Johnson’s civil war atrocities is often based on his justification that Samuel Doe and his Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) killed innocent citizens of Nimba. Thus, he and his men had to fight to defend the people of Nimba. However, a lot of those killed by Johnson and his INPFL were civilians, and not combatants. More importantly, a lot – if not all of those victims were not involved in any atrocity against the citizens of Nimba. Some were arrested and executed in Monrovia by Johnson or his forces.

Diaspora

Massaquoi war crimes trial returns to Liberia in August

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 22:00:01 +0000

Massaquoi war crimes trial returns to Liberia in August

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__5161.jpg

admin Fri, 07/23/2021 - 22:00

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Original Publisher

Four UWI Press books recognised

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 21:20:02 +0000

Four UWI Press books recognised

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__4879.jpg

admin Thu, 07/22/2021 - 21:20

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Original Publisher

Business – Barbados Today

Original Article

Four UWI Press books recognised

Four of The University of the West Indies Press’ (UWI Press) published books have recently earned recognition by international publishing awards.

On June 9, two UWI Press books were announced among the bronze medallists when the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards) declared its annual winners.

Beyond Homophobia: Centring LGBTQ Experiences in the Anglophone Caribbean edited by Moji Anderson and Erin C. MacLeod was selected as the bronze medallist in the LGBTQ+ Non-Fiction category, and Revivalism: Representing an Afro-Jamaican Identity by Maria A. Robinson-Smith also received bronze in the Religion (Eastern/Western) category.

The IPPY Awards are the longest-running unaffiliated publishing awards contest, open exclusively to independent presses.

The 2021 Awards drew over 4,500 entries, and medals have been awarded to authors and publishers from 46 US states and seven Canadian provinces, with winners also coming from UK and Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Jamaica and Malawi.

On June 29, the American Book Fest announced the winners and finalists for its 2021 International Book Awards, which saw three UWI Press books on the prestigious list. Here, Beyond Homophobia: Centring LGBTQ Experiences in the Anglophone Caribbean edited by Moji Anderson and Erin C. MacLeod, was named as a finalist in the LGBTQ Non-Fiction category. Plantation Coffee in Jamaica, 1790-1848 by Kathleen E.A. Monteith, was named as a finalist in the History: General category and Stuart Hall by Annie Paul was named as a finalist in the Biography: General category.

Over the past two and a half decades, UWI Press books and authors have received over 100 local, national and international awards and recognitions. These awards have been given for scholarly, editorial, design, production, and marketing excellence.

The UWI Press and wider university community congratulate the authors on their sterling contributions to global literary excellence.(PR)

The post Four UWI Press books recognised appeared first on Barbados Today.

Caribbean

Business

Inside QNet Pyramid Scam Scheme

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 12:50:02 +0000

Inside QNet Pyramid Scam Scheme

/sites/default/files/imported_articles_images/node__4414.jpg

admin Wed, 07/21/2021 - 12:50

Monday, July 12, 2021

Original Publisher

Foroyaa Newspaper

Original Article

Inside QNet Pyramid Scam Scheme

By Yankuba Jallow

In what looks like a daylight robbery, Foroyaa’s four months investigation has found a global e-marketing group operating in The Gambia amassing wealth from Gambians, including innocent students.

Dubbed QNet, the company does this under the ploy that they organize “Business Management” with the promise to give the students what they refer to as “International Certificate”.

In this piece, we unveil the untold stories of many Gambians, including students who became victims of QNet’s alleged financial fraud.

This pyramid-like-scheme trapped Gambians into luring fellow Gambians to venture into a business dubious in toto; yet persisting because most victims were swayed into the business by those they trusted.

It may seem like a movie-like-script, but these scenes didn’t come from Hollywood. The setting is in the smallest country in mainland Africa- The Gambia, home to little over two million people, many of whom struggle daily to make ends meet.

Victim 1:

EnterFatima Bah, a teacher at Sinchu Baliya Lower Basic School. Bah was introduced to QNet by her colleague teacher, Mariama Njie, who was in the business.

Her friend, Njie, told her she will introduce her to something that has the potential for her to get rid of poverty. Anxious due her condition and that of the family (taking care of her mother from her little earnings from teaching) Bah would agree to hear the offer.

At the meeting with her friend together with QNet officials at the QNet office, formerly at Kairaba Avenue, Bah said she was told to make payment of any of the following; D36,000, D37,000 or D38,000.

“I was never convinced about their business. Mariama would come to my house every day trying to convince me to join but I told her I cannot join because I am the breadwinner of my family,” she recalled. “I told her my salary is very little and I cannot pay for it. She insisted that if I join I will get out of poverty.”

But Bah’s colleague, Njie, was persistent. She suggested to her to take a loan from the bank to make her payment. Bah declined owing to the fact that at the time, she had a loan with the teachers’ credit union which she was struggling to pay. Nonetheless, adamant Njie would come to her every weekend persuading her to join the business. And she said Njie got her a guarantor at the bank to secure a loan of D38,000 because she was not saving with them.

“I received a loan of D38,000 from GTBank which I handed over to Mariama. I was called at the QNet office where they explained the business to me further but I told them I am not interested,” she said. “Honestly, I am suffering. She really disturbed me. The bank is deducting me D1870 every month and I am the breadwinner of my family.”

Bah said the deduction began in October 2018 and would last for 3 years. She said she does not know the whereabouts of Njie as she always calls her but she wouldn’t pick the calls. In a bid to upkeep her personal and family needs plus repayment of the bank loan, Bah now teaches in double shifts from Monday to Friday.

“I want to apply to college but I can’t do that now. I am facing serious challenges. I am in a tough time,” she said.

Njie, whom Bah accused of luring her into the business, was contacted by Foroyaa for comment. She told us this: “I don’t have anything to do with QNet. Go to QNet and ask them questions.”

What We Know About QNet?

The Quality Networking Entrusted Transactions (QNET) is an e-commerce company that operates under the Infinity Millennial with offices across the country, including Abuko, Farato and as far as Basse in Upper River Region. Founded in 1998 in Asia and introduced in Africa around 2008, QNET has three registered groups in The Gambia using different names.

The first one is Q-Net Company registered by one Gambian national Wurri Sidibeh, to sell watches and jewelleries on the 27th July 2017. The second one is QUESTNET Gambia Limited registered on the 8th December 2017. QUESTNET company director is Abubakar Marico who owns 85% of the shares, Muhammed Sillah owns 5% of the shares, Abubakar Marico (a Burkinabe) owns 5% of the shares and Kawon Jikineh owns 5% of the shares. The third is QNET registered on the 21st November 2017 by one Sulayman Jallow.

The Registrar of Companies informed Foroyaa that none of the three companies have filed their annual returns since registration in 2017.

Dr Gibril Jaw, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority, said his office does not give any license to QNet to provide any training or classes for people. He said NAQAA regulates education and training for post-secondary level up to doctorate degree.

“There is nothing like QNet in our database. So, it is not part of institutions accredited by NAQAA,” Dr Jaw said.

The doctorate degree holder took time to advise all learners to always consult with NAQAA before they register, saying they are here to protect the interest of people. He said NAQAA will treat the issue of QNet with seriousness.

“NAQAA does not know QNet. There was no license issued to QNet. I have the list of institutions, but QNet is not part of it,” he said. “Before anybody registers, it is better to seek advice from NAQAA to see the status of the institution to know whether they are recognised and registered.”

He said NAQAA’s mandate extends to regulations of all post-secondary education levels as well as the informal sector through apprenticeship programmes.

“Online, face to face, sandwich and hybrid programmes are all regulated by NAQAA,” Dr Jaw said.

Africa

News