Liberia: Victims and Advocates “Angry” Warlord Prince Johnson’s Demise Means He Will Not Face Justice; Name for Urgency in Establishing War Crimes Court
Human rights advocates and victims’ teams are indignant over the demise of Prince Johnson, the accused infamous warlord, who died all of the sudden in Paynesville early Thursday morning. Senator Johnson, 72, had high blood pressure, in accordance with his household.
By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives
Johnson was seen by many consultants as probably the most prone to face prosecution for his many atrocities when he headed the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), a break free from Charles Taylor’s NPFL. He was named primary on the listing of 116 “most notorious perpetrators”, really useful for prosecution by Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was additionally the long-time senator for Nimba County, elected to the workplace thrice.
Twenty-one years for the reason that finish of the battle, Liberia’s president and Legislature have lastly begun establishing a courtroom to strive these accused of probably the most egregious human rights violations that left 250,000 individuals lifeless and hundreds of thousands displaced. Victims will now be robbed of the possibility to see the person accused of committing probably the most atrocities through the battle tried.
“It is sad because victims of his actions have been cheated by death of the opportunity to see him face trial for the commission of crimes against humanity,” mentioned Mr. John Stewart, an ex-TRC commissioner, by textual content message. “It is indeed a loss sustained by the campaign for accountability. I would have loved to see him face trial, but fate intervened, denying me the opportunity.”
Senator Johnson’s INPFL was accused of committing 2,588 or 2 p.c of all crimes reported to the TRC. He was personally accused of committing widespread human rights violations, together with “killing, extortion, massacre, destruction of property, force recruitment, assault, abduction, torture & forced labor, rape.”
He all the time claimed he was performing on behalf of residents of his residence county Nimba, which felt focused by President Samuel Doe, and challenged the credibility of the TRC report, together with in a 2021 interview with the Voice of America. “Why will they refer to a senator like me as a notorious war criminal?” requested Senator Johnson.
While he claimed to help a battle crimes courtroom as an opportunity to clear his title, he repeatedly challenged its legality.
“The people who are clamoring for the economic and war crimes court, it’s not a bad thing,” mentioned Senator Johnson. “But the thing here, we have legal and constitutional instruments that block people from bringing a war crimes court, because the TRC they are basing on, it has flaws and irregularities that led to division within the file and ranks of the TRC commissioners. If you want to bring war crimes court for whatever reason on the basis of TRC, then it will be questionable. If you want to bring war crimes court on the basis on a new beginning to establish the court, filing information, data, that’s a good thing.”
Legal students have repeatedly mentioned that any trials by a Liberian courtroom wouldn’t be based mostly on proof from the TRC. Each case must be constructed from scratch. There are additionally no authorized limitations to trials, as battle crimes and crimes towards humanity haven’t any statute of limitation, which means they are often performed no matter how lengthy it has been for the reason that alleged crimes had been dedicated.
Several of Senator Johnson’s most notable atrocities claimed the world’s consideration, together with the torture of Samuel Doe, then-Liberian president, who his troops had captured and tortured. The acts had been captured in a video that’s accessible on-line. President Doe died a day later however it’s not clear how. Mr. Johnson repeatedly justified Mr. Doe’s demise in interviews and speeches, insisting that Mr. Doe was killed in retaliation for the deaths of “my people,” referring to the individuals of Nimba County, who revered him as a “political godfather” and “a liberator.”
They elected him senator for 27 years. But he served them for greater than 18 years—one of many longest elected officers in Liberia’s post-war historical past.
Mr. Doe’s homicide and that of Linda Drury, a younger American lady, haunted the senator. At one-point, American investigators got here to Liberia making an attempt to construct a case towards him for the latter crime. Though he was by no means charged, his current years noticed his travels restricted. He was placed on the US Magnitsky sanctions list in 2021, accused of being “involved in pay-for-play funding with government ministries and organizations for personal enrichment. As part of the scheme, upon receiving funding from the Government of Liberia (GOL), the involved government ministries and organizations launder a portion of the funding for return to the involved participants. The pay-for-play funding scheme involves millions of U.S. dollars. Johnson has also offered the sale of votes in multiple Liberian elections in exchange for money.”
That prevented him from touring to most Western nations. His travels in Africa had been additionally restricted by the danger that he would possibly land in a rustic the place prosecutors would possibly cost him utilizing the precept of common jurisdiction – which means he might be tried wherever, no matter the place the crimes had been dedicated. In an obvious response to the US sanctions, Senator Johnson resigned from his function as third deputy speaker of the regional parliament of the Economic Community of West African States in 2022.
Mr. Johnson’s passing might assist Liberia’s push for a battle and economics crimes courtroom in two methods: He was the loudest opponent to a courtroom, threatening on events to lift a militia ought to he be indicted. He was additionally anticipated to foyer different senators and representatives to dam passage of a invoice to determine the courtroom, which is predicted to come back to the Legislature in coming months.
“Yes. It will be an easy one,” mentioned Sumo Kollie Mulbah in a cellphone interview. He’s the Montserrado County consultant who put this 12 months’s decision to determine a courtroom on the ground of the House. “It will be a very easy one, because Prince Johnson was used as the icon of Nimba County. People felt that the war crimes court is about Nimbaians. No. The issue is about justice for those that died during the war, because we feel that the dead cannot speak for themselves. It’s the living who speaks for the dead and because of that, we must speak for our people that died.”
Senator Johnson was additionally seen as the most important safety menace to a courtroom, due to his threats to lift a militia to oppose it. His demise might scale back any safety threats which may have come about because of the courts.
Senator Johnson joins a rising listing of accused perpetrators who’ve died with out being prosecuted, together with Prof. Alhaji G.V. Kromah, George Dweh, Roosevelt Johnson and Francois Massaquoi amongst others. The administration of Joseph Boakai, in its tenth month, has taken key steps in establishing the courtroom, together with the signing of a joint decision for the courtroom by the Legislature, establishing an workplace for the courtroom. A invoice nonetheless must go the Legislature for the courtroom to get underway. Fearing that extra accused warlords may die, consultants need the federal government to now transfer with pace in legislating the courtroom. Any trials would possible nonetheless be not less than two years away.
“If we continue to delay, at the end of the day, that’s how it’s going to be because we have lost several of them…people like Tom Woewiyu…if they continue to go like this, who are we going to prosecute?” requested Mr. Sonyah in a cellphone interview. Woewiyu died of Covid within the United States whereas awaiting sentencing after being convicted on 14 counts of immigration fraud for mendacity about his war-related crimes in his immigration proceedings.
Mr. Stewart echoed his sentiments, urging the federal government to supply start-up funding for the Office of the courts instantly.
“This underscores the urgent need for the GoL [Government of Liberia] to jumpstart the process of accountability by making an initial but substantial contributions as seed funding to enable the office to establish the court to become functional,” mentioned Mr. Stewart. “This is especially in view of the fact that major perpetrators are dying out and thereby denying Justice to victims.”
After the battle, Mr. Johnson turned a self-styled evangelist, who often used the pulpit of his private church to evangelise forgiveness and hate, throwing jibes at his political opponents. He was a king maker in politics, throwing his help behind the presidential candidate who paid probably the most cash. His help determined victories for all of Liberia’s three post-war presidents: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, George Weah and Joseph Boakai. Political analysts say his demise may change Liberia’s political panorama. He additionally had unsuccessful presidential runs himself in 2011 and 2017.
“Oh yes! PYJ’s [Prince Yormie Johnson’s] death is going to have impact on Nimba and the country at large politically,” mentioned Mr. Franklin Wesseh, ex-chairman of the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinions, a number one level of mental convergence for Liberia’s policymakers, politicians and peculiar residents. “Nimba might no longer be the determiner of Liberia’s President. PYJ told the people of Nimba which way to go, and the obeyed. They saw him as their savior. I doubt strongly if anyone can fill that vacuum anytime soon. No son or daughter or daughter of Nimba has shown that prospect of being able to wield that authority that PYJ commanded.”
Mr. Boakai, who Senator Johnson supported over Mr. Weah through the 2023 presidential election, described him “as a figure who played a pivotal role in Liberia’s complex historical evolution and contributed to national discourse through his service in the Senate,” according to the Executive Mansion.
“The Government of Liberia will work closely with the Johnson family, the Vice President and the people of Nimba to ensure that Senator Prince Y. Johnson receives a befitting farewell in accordance with national traditions,” mentioned the assertion.
In a Facebook put up, Mr. Weah, who had a falling out with Mr. Johnson within the lead as much as the 2023 election, made no point out of his impression on Liberian politics, however mentioned “Liberia is bereaved; Nimba is bereaved; the Liberian Senate is bereaved,” providing his “heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family and all those impacted by his passing.”
Constitutionally, the election of Johnson’s alternative should be held inside 90 days. But the Senate should formally inform the National Elections Commission in regards to the emptiness inside 30 days.
“As for replacing PYJ at the Senate, I predict Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh will succeed him,” mentioned Mr. Wesseh in a WhatsApp message. “But she may face a fierce opposition from Representative Samuel Kogar if he decides to contest for the seat too.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as a part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was supplied by the Swedish embassy in Liberia. The donor had no say within the story’s content material.
