>From: Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list              <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [Fwd: Rejected posting to [log in to unmask]] >Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 15:24:00 -0500 > >----------------- Original message (ID=0D5A2CFB) (64 lines) >------------------- > >Received: from maelstrom.stjohns.edu (149.68.45.24) by >maelstrom.stjohns.edu (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id ><[log in to unmask]>; Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:59:57 -0500 >Date:         Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:59:56 -0500 >From:         Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]> >Subject:      FWD:Dutch police arrest national for war crimes in >Liberia >To:           [log in to unmask] > >MONROVIA, 22 Mar 2005 (IRIN) - Authorities in the Netherlands said >on >Monday they had arrested and charged a national businessman close to >exiled >President Charles Taylor of Liberia with war crimes and smuggling >weapons >during that country's civil war. > >The 62-year-old man whom the authorities refused to name, was >arrested last >Friday in the Dutch city of Rotterdam following a year-long >investigation, >the Public Prosecutor said in a statement. > >The man, identified as Guus van Kouwenhoven in previous >investigative >reports by the United Nations and non-governmental organisations is >also >suspected of supporting brutal militias. > >"Militias belonging to the Dutchman's logging companies apparently >took >part in massacres of civilians in which nothing and nobody was >spared, not >even babies," added the Public Prosecutor. "The arms used to commit >these >war crimes were apparently supplied by the Dutchman". > >Kouwenhoven had managed Hotel Africa, Liberia's five star hotel at >the >time. He also had a hand in several logging companies and managed >one of >the largest operations in Liberia - the Oriental Timber Company >(OTC), to >which Taylor granted a massive 1.44 million hectare concession in >the >country's coastal provinces of Grand Bassa, River Cess and parts of >Sinoe >counties. > >Kouwenhoven is suspected of war crimes and bypassing an >international arms >embargo on the West African country that emerged from a 14 year >civil war >in August 2003. Under a peace deal, Taylor was given exile in >Nigeria. > >"Several witnesses have made statements to the National Criminal >Investigations Bureau relating to arms supplies and the involvement >of the >Dutchman in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003, a period during which UN >arms >embargoes were in force," said the Public Prosecutor. > >The United Nations imposed a ban on arms exports in Liberia in 2001 >to stop >then-president Taylor from using foreign exchange earnings from >timber and >diamonds for arms purchases. > >A UN panel of experts report on the trade in diamonds and arms in >Sierra >Leone first raised suspicions over Kouwenhoven's activities in the >region >in 2000. In a separate report by the British NGO Global witness in >2003, >further connections were made between Kouwenhoven and the illegal >arms >trade. > >According to Global Witness spokesperson Alex Yearsley, Kouwenhoven >was a >close confident and ally of Taylor and helped guarantee the former >warlord's survival. > >"Without having the supply of cash brought in [by the company] it >would >have been hard for Taylor to operate and stay in power as long as he >did," >Yearsley said. > >Global Witness said it hoped this latest might serve as a precedent >for >more prosecutions against sanction-breakers. > >"It is the first time a prosecuting authority has taken steps of >this >nature against somebody violating specific UN sanctions," Yearsley >said. "It reflects an important precedent." > >いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the >Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] >いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい