For immediate release Former Liberian ULIMO Rebel Commander Arrested in Switzerland for Alleged War Crimes. Second arrest in Europe within weeks for war crimes allegedly committed during the 1st Liberian civil war (1989-1996). The arrest of Alieu Kosiah, a former commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO), a rebel group that fought against Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front for Liberia (NPFL) in Liberias first civil war, was reported yesterday. Kosiah was arrested on 10 November 2014 for his alleged implication in war crimes committed between 1993 and 1995 in Lofa County, Liberia. A Swiss judge decided on 13 November 2014 that Mr. Kosiah will remain in detention for at least three months. This landmark case marks the very first time a former ULIMO member has been charged with international crimes committed during Liberia’s civil wars and the arrest came only a few weeks after a NPFL Front Line Commander, Martina Johnson, was arrested in Belgium for her alleged role in wartime atrocities. The investigation and arrest were possible under Swiss law as Mr. Kosiah was residing in Switzerland. The majority of the 7 Liberian victims who filed criminal complaints against Alieu Kosiah in Switzerland are represented by Alain Werner, Swiss lawyer and Director of Civitas Maxima. Civitas Maxima has been working since 2012 with the Monrovia-based Global Justice and Research Project (GJRP) to document crimes committed during the wars by all warring factions and find avenues for accountability. The victims directly implicate Mr. Kosiah as having participated in mass atrocities including systematic killings committed against civilians between 1993 and 1995 in Lofa County, in northwestern Liberia. ULIMO occupied large parts of Lofa County, where they instilled a reign of terror in areas under their control. Until now, the Liberian authorities have made no effort to investigate and prosecute crimes committed during over a decade of civil war, which claimed over 150 000 lives, most of them civilians. Hassan Bility, the Monrovia-based Director of the GJRP commented: “The news of Martina Johnson’s arrest in Belgium gave hope to thousands of Liberian victims that justice can be a reality. This second arrest is a milestone as it is the first case ever against an ULIMO commander and it reinforces the Liberian demand for impartial justice for all victims. We are unbiased in our documentation of war crimes and we believe that former commanders of all rebel factions who committed crimes during the wars in Liberia need to be held accountable, without exception. He continued, Even though Liberia is struggling with Ebola, the victims’ yearning for justice cannot be silenced.” Contact: Hassan Bility (Monrovia) [email protected] 00231 880580257 globaljustice-research.org
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 21:59:49 +0000
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