Former Liberian leader, Charles Taylor defending himself at the Court in The Hague http://theliberiantimes.com/blogs/index.php?blog=2&p=1792&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 Q (Defense Counsel). I'm sure I don't have to remind you, Mr Taylor, because you've been observing these proceedings now for many months, but it's vitally important that you keep your voice up and that you speak slowly and clearly. Can you give the Court your full name, please? > >A. (Charles Ghankay Taylor) My name is Dankpannah Dr Charles Ghankay Taylor, the 21st President of the Republic of Liberia. >[More:] > >Q. Now, Mr Taylor, as you're aware you are charged on an indictment containing 11 counts which alleges that you are everything from a terrorist to a rapist. What do you say about that? > >A. It is quite incredible that such descriptions of me would come about. Very, very, very unfortunate that the Prosecution, because of disinformation, misinformation, lies, rumors, would associate me with such titles or descriptions. I am none of those, have never been and will never be whether they think so or not. I am a father of 14 children, grandchildren, with love for humanity. I have fought all my life to do what I thought was right in the interests of justice and fair play. I resent that characterization of me, it is false, it is malicious and I stop there. > >Q. Now help us, why did you launch an invasion of Liberia in >December 1989? > >A. Liberia has a very long what some may call a checkered history. The NPFL that launched the revolution that I led was the second NPFL, not the first. Following years of turmoil that I would say goes back to as far as 1955 or before, and maybe at some point in time we will deal with what 1955 meant to Liberians, we had problems. The government of one of my predecessors, Samuel Kanyon Doe, had led a very violent campaign against citizens of the country and I have no direct quarrels with him because maybe he may have had his own reasons, but citizens of Nimba were killed. The general that led the rising during that particular time, General Thomas Quiwonkpa, was captured, killed in Monrovia and cannibalized by then members of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Elections were held, they were stolen by Doe and there was a reign of terror and so we went in to bring about some order and restore democracy in Liberia. > >Q. Now help us, Mr Taylor. During the course of the NPFL's campaign in Liberia, were atrocities committed? > >A. I will be the first to admit that bad things did happen in Liberia during the operations of the NPFL, for several reasons. Let's not forget we are dealing with a period of tribal problems. Doe had killed Nimbadiens, Gios and Manos and Krahns were involved in the operations, assisted by some other groups. There was bad blood, the need for revenge on the part of certain groups. All of these things were going on, so when we launched this revolution to bring about stability in the country. Yes, there were times when some individuals, because of their own selfish motives, engaged in certain actions, but what is very clear is that when we found out that atrocities had been committed, we acted. >There are so many cases that have come in evidence before military tribunal, they had a fair day in court, and if they were found guilty and the punishment was whatever I, as the leader of the NPFL, approved. There was just no indiscriminate killing of people. But these terrible things happened but we took action as we found out. Now, I don't claim that we knew everything that happened, but whatever happened that we got to find out, we acted upon. > >Q. Now you call it a revolution, Mr Taylor; why? > >A. Change. Liberia had a history of one party. The True Whig Party in Liberia was all of our party, whether you wanted to be a member of the party or not you were just a True Whigger. That Whig is that old southern style politics that the quote unquote Americo-Liberian brought as the freed slaves returned from the United States and they had what they called the Whigs. So the True Whig Party in Liberia was the only party, and that continued throughout the Tolbert administration and when Doe came in he continued. So the revolution was to bring about a full change to bring about democracy, multi-party democracy, may I say, and a rule of law which we no longer knew. After the failed attempt of General Quiwonkpa, things got really out of hand. > >Q. Was that revolution informed by any particular ideology? > >A. You know, when we get into ideology, I have tried not to become so ideologically attached to some of these different dogmas that you hear, but it was informed by one thing; a desire for democracy and the rule of law. > >Q. Now moving on, Mr Taylor, did you knowingly assist Foday Sankoh and the RUF to invade Sierra Leone? > >A. I, Charles Ghankay Taylor, never ever at any time knowingly assist Foday Sankoh in the invasion of Sierra Leone. > >Q. Did you plan such an invasion with him? > >A. I never ever planned any invasion of that friendly country with Foday Sankoh. > >Q. Did you have prior knowledge that such an invasion would take place? > >A. Now, I may have to probably just seek some clarification. I was aware from Libya that a Sierra Leonean group, the Sierra Leonean Pan-African Revolutionary Movement, harboured the intent to carry on such operations in Sierra Leone at the time in Libya, and so that's why I said I need some clarification. But as to the Foday Sankoh operation, no. > >TO BE CONTIUNED ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤