Prosecutor Pushes Court to Convict, Jail and Sanction Kosiah

BELLINZONA, Switzerland – Alieu Kosiah should be convicted of all the war crimes charges he faces, jailed for a maximum 20 years and then barred from entering Switzerland for 15 years, prosecutors said on Monday in their final argument four days to the end of the historic trial. Chief prosecutor Andreas Müller told the Swiss…

Court Hears Kosiah’s Defense Against ‘Liars’ and ‘Manipulators’

BELLINZONA, Switzerland – War crimes suspect Alieu Kosiah delivered a forceful rebuke to six plaintiffs who brought the war crimes case against him here in the Swiss Federal Criminal Court on Monday. He slammed the plaintiffs and their lawyers for “staging their testimonies” and “lying on him”.  Kosiah’s anger at being on trial here was focused…

Kosiah Sat Near a Bucket with Human Hearts, Court Hears

BELLINZONA, Switzerland – Alieu Kosiah sat near a bucket filled with human hearts in Foya, Lofa County in the mid-1990s, a man told the Swiss Federal Criminal Court prosecuting the former rebel commander on Friday. According to the man, the fifth of seven plaintiffs who have brought the war crimes case against Kosiah, another rebel named…

William Harmon Reporting Fellow, Daily Observer newspaper

William Q. Harmon is a political and environmental reporter at the Daily Observer newspaper. He has been a practicing journalist for over a decade having joined the Observer in 2011. William started as a roving reporter before settling into his preferred beats—political and environmental reporting. William provided coverage for the Executive Mansion for five years…

Grand Bassa Officials Sign Bogus Logging Agreement with ‘Serbian’ Company

Editor’s Note: This story is the first of a two-part series on an illegal logging agreement between Vambo and Marloi townships in Grand Bassa County, and African Trades Entrepreneur Enterprises Incorporated.    VAMBO – Officials of Grand Bassa County have signed an illegal deal with a company to pave a dusty road through two townships in…

GVL Lays Off Nearly 450 Workers

BUTAW, SINOE COUNTY – Four hundred and forty-three workers have been laid off at Golden Veroleum Liberia, more than 10 percent of its workforce, the company said on Saturday. “[They are] due to the downturn of the global economy due to the coronavirus and the constant drop in the price of oil palm on the world…

Kosiah ‘Loved Looting’ And Was Called ‘Physical Cash’

Editor’s Note: This story is the final of a two-part series on the extent of Alieu Kosiah’s alleged crimes in Foya District, Lofa County. FOYA DISTRICT, Lofa County – The ruins of a factory sit on a major route in a town called Menigesua, towards the Sierra Leone border. Tall grass and weeds have engulfed what…

War Crimes Trial Coming to Liberian Soil

The Pirkanmaa District Court in Finland announced Thursday that it will begin the trial of Gibril Massaquoi, a Sierra Leonean, for war crimes allegedly committed in Liberia in his role as a commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) between 2001 and 2002 next week. Later in February the court will move to Liberia and…

War Crimes Trial of Alieu Kosiah ends

Anthony Stephens of Power FM/TV reports on Alieu Kosiah’s war crimes trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland, where Kosiah is demanding over $ 1.3 million in compensation. In this report, he also speaks to the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, Alain Werner, who Kosiah’s lawyer accused of “advertising his client’s statements for his personal benefit”. James Harding…

Eric Opa Doue Alum

Eric Opa Doue is a senior reporter with New Narratives with his journalism appearing in FrontPage Africa, ELBC radio and other radio stations. He has been with New Narratives since 2017. Eric is a an experienced community radio journalist based in River Cess County. He is a newsroom leader with a passion for reporting on…

Mae Azango Senior Reporter/Program Manager

Mae Azango is one of the best known reporters in Liberia. Her consistent dedication to telling the stories of ordinary Liberians in FrontPage Africa newspaper has won her acclaim in Liberia and around the world. In March 2012 Mae was forced to go into hiding after her report on the practice of female genital cutting by Liberia’s traditional societies brought…

Liberians Plagued by Mental Health Problems in Aftermath of War

Ganta, Nimba County – The heat of late morning sun here is overwhelming today.  Dorbor Kullie- [name withheld to protect him from stigma] moves his chair by the side of a building to benefit from its shade.  He uses his shirt to wipe his face but he continues to perspire profusely.  Yet, he wears a…

Liberia: U.S. Judge Rules Lutheran Massacre Case Will Go Ahead

MONROVIA – An American court has ruled that Moses Thomas, the senior officer who allegedly ordered the Lutheran Church Massacre, will face trial in Philadelphia. A civil suit brought by the Center for Justice and Accountability on behalf of four anonymous survivors of the massacre alleges Thomas gave the command for the killings when he…

Liberia: UN, American Envoys Call for War Crimes Court at Milestone Justice Conference

Monrovia – Stephen Rapp, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and Dr. Uchenna Emelonye, Country Representative of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights have both called for Liberia to set up a war crimes court to prosecute perpetrators of its civil war. This story first appeared on FrontPageAfrica as part of…