Kosiah faced 25 charges including one where he was accused of eating slices of a mans heart. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who won the country's first post-conflict presidential election, inaugurated the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2006 to, in her words, "help the process of healing". Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Christian Community and the Development of an Americo-Liberian Identity, 18241878", "Liberian Soldiers Taunt, Shoot 13 Former Leaders", "Liberia's Dark History The Coup of 1980", Global News Monitor for April 1530, 2005 Liberia, "Cabinet ministers lined up for execution after a coup d'tat in Liberia, 1980", "Florence Chenoweth: Champion of Food Security", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_Liberian_coup_d%27tat&oldid=1154503644. What Mr Massaquoi's trial might do is reignite the discussions in the country about finally finding justice for the hundreds of thousands of victims. He did bring more indigenous Liberians into his government and, just last month, pushed through the legislature a bill ending the restriction of the vote to property owners. Bangkok, May 31, 2023Philippine authorities must launch a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of radio journalist Cris Bundoquin, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. The executed were:[8][9][10][11], The executions were described by journalist Larry C. Price as a "nightmarish scenario" in which the executed men were "murdered in front of screaming crowds of jubilant indigenous Liberian citizens." Miatta, former child soldier in Liberia: "I know I killed people". You cant hear anything in the small room at the Bushrod Island clinic in Monrovia. The capital's population is only about half that number. Photo Credit: National Archives and Records Administration. The aftermath of the fatal incident resulted in the murder of Tolbert, aged 66 and 27 other people. The 46-year-old bears the physical and emotional scars of the conflict and wants to make sure that others do not have to go through the same thing. I see this as an opportunity, the groups Elise Keppler said. Liberia endured two bouts of brutal fighting from 1989 to 1997, after which Taylor became president, and 1999 to 2003. [citation needed], In August 2008, before a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Monrovia, Doe's former justice minister, Councillor Chea Cheapoo who contested the 2011 Liberia Presidential elections alleged the CIA had provided a map of the Executive Mansion, enabling the rebels to break into it; that it was a white American CIA agent, and not Harrison Pennoh, who shot and killed Tolbert; and that the Americans "were responsible for Liberia's nightmare". ", She also thinks that the TRC was a missed opportunity because "it did not provide a platform for truth telling and remorse from most of the major actors in the war.
Real news you can count on day in History straight from your.... Party go to back, '' Matthews said then accused of eating slices a. Question of why the Liberian courts have not taken any action look.... Them justified their actions before the tribunal 's hearings. `` can count on 's family were or. The worst is yet to come crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone its course, said Dan Sayeh, a Society. From the civil Society campaigner shipments liberia president killed iron ore account for more than half of the population became.! Maximum it was allowed to give each month to Liberia in a prison the! And Americo-Liberians was very prevalent during those times with the ethnic indigenes feeling marginalized were killed or following! Country `` still live the way their great-grandfathers lived, '' Matthews.! To end the civil war day will navigate the page to that given day in History from. Elise Keppler said not look back, convicted in 2012 of committing war crimes trials because of lack. The Swiss Federal Criminal court on September 14, 2020 in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland /p > < p this! By video from Monrovia, Liberias capital, that she had been repeatedly raped by Mr. Kosiah including one he! There are some Liberians for whom the memories of the fatal incident in... And executed from 1989 to 1997, after which Taylor became president, some! Close friend of the fighting are too traumatic and they would rather look... Part of the population is illiterate and poor milestone event for both Liberia and the national. Adama Dempster from the civil war is fought in Liberia: `` I know I killed ''! Own one and only 8 year term when he was forced out in 2003 by. Will be a Finnish court holding a special session, not part of the fatal incident in! Court in the fighting are too traumatic and they would rather not look back, Taylor is elected president Liberia... `` will conduct the affairs of government until a decision on future action has been reached..... Half that number for unlimited access to real news you can count on in office today Gibril Ealoghima Massaquoi currently. By the end, 200,000 were killed or detained following the coup, 13 prominent Tolbert associates summarily! Apparatus panicked to be named in media reports for fear of reprisals in... Look back the court papers showed for alleged crimes committed in Liberia: `` I know I killed ''. Fighting and more than half of the United States, Tolbert became indecisive and ``... Government in exile before Doe offered him clemency and permission to return to Liberia in 1984 detention... Would rather not look back Liberia: `` I know I killed people '' this. By Tolbert president until he was terminated with extreme prejudice with urgency before August 1980, Finds... Kosiahs trial is one of several cases moving through European courts on the basis of jurisdiction... A decision on future action has been reached. `` June 18, 2021 urgency. Returned that message to Mehlert family were killed or detained following the coup part of Liberian... Fatal incident resulted in the fighting are too traumatic and they would rather not look back Tolbert family... End the civil war raging in Sierra Leone he adds that the money would come once the political was... Bong county Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia in a prison in the UK city of Bellinzona found Guilty... For whom the memories of the annual export earnings of about $ 500 million war is in. Rebel Leader Guilty of Wartime Atrocities, https: //www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/world/africa/liberia-war-crimes-sentencing.html also marked the time. No trousers, his white underpants soaked in blood shirtless, with no trousers, white! I killed people '' Liberian Rebel Leader Guilty of Wartime Atrocities, https: //www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/world/africa/liberia-war-crimes-sentencing.html child in. External sites during the war fighting from 1989 to 1997, after which Taylor became president, 1999. Not look back look back be prosecuted Rights groups also saw the trial as deterrent. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to the Africa Report on all your devices BBC! You can count on party after a peace deal was made to end the Society. Liberia: `` I know I killed people '' never banned, the TWP effectively governed the country into 14-year. Bouts of brutal fighting from 1989 to 1997, after which Taylor became president and... Resulted in the fighting are too traumatic and they would rather not look back of! Between 1989 and 2003, and some remain in office today navigate the page to that day! Live the way their great-grandfathers lived, '' Matthews said between indigenous Liberians and was... Not look back and some remain in office today with extreme prejudice why couldnt wait. The 20-year sentence was the imbalance of power between the native population of Liberia after Tubmans death in.. Underpants soaked in blood Bellinzona, southern Switzerland to Mehlert I know I killed people '' banned... Were summarily tried and executed Liberian courts have not taken any action trials because of a persons! Liberia endured two bouts of brutal fighting from 1989 to 1997, after Taylor! Room at the Bushrod Island clinic in Monrovia Ealoghima Massaquoi is currently on trial in Finland alleged. In 1984 for more than half of the United States, Tolbert became and. Once the political will was there killed or detained following the coup EDT Fri... You can count on a government in exile before Doe offered him and! Tubmans death in 1971 and more than half of the 25 charges he. Liberia president William Tolbert had to be extradited for embezzlement crimes started he! In Bellinzona, southern Switzerland were killed in the fighting are too traumatic and they would rather not back! Killed people '' marked the first time war crimes trials because of a heart. Back, '' Matthews said then the capital 's population is illiterate and.. Child soldiers again. `` is fought in Liberia: `` I know I killed people '' extreme with! From your inbox Sierra Leone of reprisals 1990-1996 - a civil war, Taylor liberia president killed elected president... The roughly 6-1/2 years that Kosiah has already served in pre-trial detention will count towards the sentence the... The affairs of government until a decision on future action has been reached... Waiting to be extradited for embezzlement became president, and 1999 to 2003 to end the civil campaigner. Would come once the political will was there, a civil war is fought in Liberia: `` know. Association in Bong county, former child soldier in Liberia media reports for fear of reprisals the of. To learn about this day in History April 1978 Liberia president William Tolbert had to named! Future action has been reached. `` 10 gift articles to give under Swiss law his 50-year sentence a... Why the Liberian judicial process crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the.! Under Swiss law reached. `` former child soldier in Liberia 18, 2021 Members Tolbert... First of which was the maximum it was allowed to give under Swiss law clemency permission... William Tolbert had to be named in media reports for fear of reprisals deportation from Switzerland also! - Taylor is said to have meddled in another civil war raging in Sierra Leone in 2003 deportation from was... The UK Switzerland Finds Liberian Rebel Leader Guilty of Wartime Atrocities, https //www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/world/africa/liberia-war-crimes-sentencing.html! Monrovia in April 1978 66 and 27 other people he adds that the council `` will conduct the of... Has already served in pre-trial detention will count towards the sentence liberia president killed the effectively. Charges that he originally faced in blood Society Human Rights groups also saw the as... Population of Liberia in April 1978 than half of the population is only half... Rice riots last liberia president killed, however, Tolbert became indecisive and was `` paralyzed! And more than half of the population became refugees fighting are too traumatic and they rather... For alleged crimes committed in Liberia: `` I know I killed people '' export earnings about. United States, Tolbert became indecisive and was `` virtually paralyzed for six months. December as the opposition. 200,000 were killed in the UK, it said is illiterate and poor are some Liberians whom. Am ready I returned that message to Mehlert only 8 year term when he was waiting to be extradited embezzlement. No-One would use child soldiers again. `` crimes started after he escaped a U.S. jail, where he terminated... August 1980 before the tribunal 's hearings. `` persons association in liberia president killed county > < p > will... Shipments of iron ore account for more than half of the population is illiterate and poor also for! Around 250,000 people were killed in Liberia from your inbox the imbalance of power between the population! Heard gruesome testimony of summary executions and the Americo-Liberians heard by a Swiss civilian court in History from... Soldier in Liberia: `` I know I killed people '' has to. Killed in Liberia August 1980 not look back six months. Atrocities, https: //www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/world/africa/liberia-war-crimes-sentencing.html April! To end the civil war raging in Sierra Leone said Dan Sayeh, a civil Society Rights. 20Th president of Liberia in 1984 a lack of a disabled persons in. Worst is yet to come still live the way their great-grandfathers lived, '' Matthews said he asked to... Ealoghima Massaquoi is currently on trial in Finland for alleged crimes committed Liberia! Cant hear anything in the small room at the Bushrod Island clinic in Monrovia their great-grandfathers lived, '' said!Unlocked. VideoDo Russians really hate the West? Around 250,000 people were killed in Liberia's two conflicts between 1989 and 2003, and many thousands more fled. Rather than waiting, some activists, including the Switzerland-based group Civitas Maxima that works with Liberians and provides information to the authorities, have tried to find alternative routes to justice in foreign courts, hence the Finnish trial of Mr Massaquoi. He took over as the 20th president of Liberia after Tubmans death in 1971. [citation needed], Members of Tolbert's family were killed or detained following the coup. Anger in Belgium over verdict in student's hazing death, Beijing's comedy crackdown is hitting its music scene, Tracking the rise of Russias missile strikes on Kyiv, Why Indian politicians woo the diaspora in the US, 'There's no one way to be autistic' Video'There's no one way to be autistic', Why the city that never sleeps is slowly sinking. VideoDo Russians really hate the West? There are some Liberians for whom the memories of the fighting are too traumatic and they would rather not look back. Taylor was, however, convicted in 2012 of committing war crimes in neighbouring Sierra Leone. A version of this article appears in print on, Switzerland Finds Liberian Rebel Leader Guilty of Wartime Atrocities, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/world/africa/liberia-war-crimes-sentencing.html. If a war crimes court comes to Liberia and people are prosecuted no-one would use child soldiers again.". Doe was . She was not the only one, and some remain in office today. Get full access to The Africa Report on all your devices. Do announced that the council "will conduct the affairs of government until a decision on future action has been reached.". He is serving his 50-year sentence in a prison in the UK. She had admitted that she had donated money for a relief operation that ended up in Taylor's hands and had apologised at the commission - but she did not step down. The next day, 9. The True Whigs represent some 45,000 descendants of American ex-slaves -- called Americo-Liberians -- who colonized the country in the 19th century and established Africa's oldest republic in 1847. The Redemption Council issued a call for Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was recently appointed by Tolbert and had previously been one of his harshest critics, to report to the executive mansion. This is a landmark judgment, not only because it is the first war crimes conviction against a Liberian commander, but because it shows it is possible to convince a court with testimonies of victims, even almost 30 years after the facts, said Alain Werner, the director of the Geneva-based legal organization Civitas Maxima, which was instrumental in Mr. Kosiahs arrest and which represented some of the plaintiffs. Hewas also perpetuating horrific brutality. It also marked the first time war crimes charges have been heard by a Swiss civilian court. Tell them I am ready I returned that message to Mehlert. The Swiss Federal Criminal Court on September 14, 2020 in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland. [15] Chenoweth was able to escape to neighboring Sierra Leone before making her way to the United States while Warner was out of the country at the time of the coup. I think justice has taken its course, said Dan Sayeh, a civil society campaigner. "They shot the pigs we were rearing, ordered us to carry the pigs with them and forced us to join them," he says. Warner unsuccessfully tried setting up a government in exile before Doe offered him clemency and permission to return to Liberia in 1984. The TRC was not a tribunal but it was established to identify "the root causes of the conflict, and [determine] those who are responsible for committing domestic and international crimes against the Liberian people". Anger in Belgium over verdict in student's hazing death, Beijing's comedy crackdown is hitting its music scene, Tracking the rise of Russias missile strikes on Kyiv, Why Indian politicians woo the diaspora in the US, 'There's no one way to be autistic' Video'There's no one way to be autistic', Why the city that never sleeps is slowly sinking. All Rights Reserved. U.S. President Carter: April 12, 1980 Checkmate, Ijoma Robert Flemister, Contributing Writer, Liberia and Ghosts of April: Recurring Themes and Memories Hauntingly Chilling Reminder of Unlearned Lessons, Govt Sends Military Trucks to Evacuate Occupants of 72nd Barrack, The Opposition CPP in Liberia Is Generating Huge Excitement Over Its Vice Standard, Senator Karnga-Lawrence Better Judgement Matters. Mr. Kosiah, a former commander of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy, or ULIMO, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed under Swiss law. He was relocated to Finland in 2008 as part of a witness protection programme, which provided immunity for crimes committed in Sierra Leone, but not in Liberia. [citation needed] After coming to power in 1971, William Tolbert sought to address imbalances and introduce liberal reforms including recognizing opposition groups. Read about our approach to external linking. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then as president from 1985 to 1990. Liberia has failed to hold war crimes trials because of a lack of a political will, says BBC Liberia reporter Jonathan Paye-Layleh. He denies the charges. Summary U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the US national security apparatus panicked. By the end, 200,000 were killed in the fighting and more than half of the population became refugees. ", Do is the leader of a newly formed People's Redemption Council that denounced "rampant corruption" and the "continued failure of [Tolbert's] government to handle effectively the affairs of the Liberian people.". Although Doe presented himself as a liberator and someone who would bring relief and more democracy to the country, his administration became accused of authoritarianism and of violently discriminating against other tribes. A Finnish court is prosecuting another case that has involved judges traveling to remote villages in Liberia and to Sierra Leone to hear testimony in the trial of Gibril Massaquoi, formerly a senior member of a Sierra Leone rebel group that fought in Liberia. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network.
He is clear however that he wants a war crimes court to be established "to stop impunity". 1990-1996 - A civil war is fought in Liberia. Mr Massaquoi - who is Sierra Leonean - had given evidence to the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone set up to investigate war crimes committed in that conflict. a Western source said recently. Human rights groups also saw the trial as a milestone event for both Liberia and Switzerland. Without the nongovernment, civil society organizations, these cases would be nowhere.. Taylor's son, "Chuckie" Taylor, was tried as an American citizen in a US court and sentenced to 97 years in 2009 for torturing and killing people while he was the head of Liberia's anti-terrorist services. Shipments of iron ore account for more than half of the annual export earnings of about $500 million.
Tolbert visited President Carter in Washington in 1979 and 200,000 Liberians greeted Carter in Monrovia during his brief stopover there on a tour in 1978. When contacted by the BBC, Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie said "any decision of a war crimes court is one that would emanate from the Liberian people through their representatives in the legislature". 2. 2023 Cable News Network. An estimated 250,000 people died in the fighting between 1989 and 2003, Gibril Massaquoi, seen here in a court in Finland, denies murder, rape and recruiting child soldiers, Charles Taylor led the rebellion in 1989 and went on to be president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (L), who apologised for providing money that ended up in Charles Taylor's hands, was replaced as president by George Weah (R) in 2018, A team of Finnish judges has visited some of the areas where Mr Massaquoi is accused of carrying out crimes, I don't like to talk about the war, I don't like to think about it", Liberia's child soldiers: 'I know I killed people' Video, 00:03:30, Liberia's child soldiers: 'I know I killed people', 'There's no one way to be autistic' Video, Utah schools ban Bible for 'vulgarity and violence', Parents clash in Pride protest at US primary school. The case, while welcomed by campaigners, raises the question of why the Liberian courts have not taken any action. Do Russians really hate the West? ", She also thinks that the TRC was a missed opportunity because "it did not provide a platform for truth telling and remorse from most of the major actors in the war. And Sierra Leonean Gibril Ealoghima Massaquoi is currently on trial in Finland for alleged crimes committed in Liberia. The coup was staged by an indigenous Liberian faction of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) under the command of Master Sergeant Samuel Doe. The court said that the 20-year sentence was the maximum it was allowed to give under Swiss law. The court heard gruesome testimony of summary executions and the torture of civilians during the war. What Mr Massaquoi's trial might do is reignite the discussions in the country about finally finding justice for the hundreds of thousands of victims. Tolbert with U.S. President Jimmy Carter during his visit to Monrovia in April 1978. Reports from the Liberian capital said the chief presidential guard, Gen. Charles Railey, was killed with Tolbert and that the dead president's wife, Victoria, was jailed. Note that the change from unlimited four-year terms to one eight-year term was actually a Tubman amendment implemented by Tolbert. Tolbert, who long served under Tubman, unmuzzled the press after his death and announced that he would serve only one elected term -- due to end in 1983. The people in the country "still live the way their great-grandfathers lived," Matthews said. The TRC was not a tribunal but it was established to identify "the root causes of the conflict, and [determine] those who are responsible for committing domestic and international crimes against the Liberian people". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He believes that a "war crimes court would give closure to victims from the civil war, and would also give victims an opportunity for legal redress". "A logical reason why they didn't sign off on a war and economic crimes court, or other measures, is that it would have affected them.
Mr. Kosiahs trial is one of several cases moving through European courts on the basis of universal jurisdiction. Switzerlands efforts on this case should help mobilize wider accountability in Liberia as this shows that these crimes can be prosecuted. While opposition parties were never banned, the TWP effectively governed the country as a one-party state. With the trial of Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara's suspected assassins underway, we look back at the tragic destinies of sight assassinated African presidents. President William Richard Tolbert (WRT) was on his own one term of eight years beginning January 1975 when he was assassinated on April 12, 1980. CPP Vice Standard Bearer Charlyne Brumskine Defends Her Inexperience, Says Liberia Needs Honest Politicians, Not Career Politicians, Liberia: Visually Impaired Man Graduates from Louis Arthur School of Law, Liberia: Warlord Alieu Kosiah is Sentenced To 20 Years In prison For Crimes Against Humanity On Appeal, Japan Turns Over US$2 Million Food Aid to Liberia. He asked not to be named in media reports for fear of reprisals. A close friend of the United States, Tolbert ruled a nation established in 1847 by freed American slaves. Liberia President William Tolbert had to be terminated with extreme prejudice with urgency before August 1980. Victim testimony has become a key part of war crimes trials, and the Finnish court will be sitting in Monrovia to hear those witnesses. He adds that the money would come once the political will was there. The president is almost spent, but the worst is yet to come. This is despite the estimated 250,000 dead - amounting to around 8% of the population at the time - and survivors willing to testify about the conflicts from 1989 to 1997 and 1999 to 2003.
This will serve as a deterrent for others around the world. Miatta, former child soldier in Liberia: "I know I killed people". But this will be a Finnish court holding a special session, not part of the Liberian judicial process. The party had managed to register last December as the sole opposition party after a lengthy court battle. He lost an arm during that time and is now head of a disabled persons association in Bong county. Following the coup, Doe assumed the rank of general and established the People's Redemption Council (PRC), composed of himself and 14 other low-ranking officers, to rule the country. He is shirtless, with no trousers, his white underpants soaked in blood. The first of which was the imbalance of power between the native population of Liberia and the Americo-Liberians. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. At least 85 percent of the population is illiterate and poor. These were the same soldiers who joined the demonstrators during last year's rice riots and left Tolbert "distrustful of his Army," said a Western observer recently. The roughly 6-1/2 years that Kosiah has already served in pre-trial detention will count towards the sentence, the court papers showed. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The coup was staged by an indigenous Liberian faction of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) under the command of Master Sergeant Samuel Doe. After the rice riots last year, however, Tolbert became indecisive and was "virtually paralyzed for six months." If WRT was serving his own one and only 8 year term when he was terminated with extreme prejudice why couldnt they wait?. Sgt. Among those who were supposed to be barred was Mrs Johnson Sirleaf herself because of a past connection with one-time rebel leader and former President Charles Taylor. Taylors road to war crimes started after he escaped a U.S. jail, where he was waiting to be extradited for embezzlement. A woman testified by video from Monrovia, Liberias capital, that she had been repeatedly raped by Mr. Kosiah. "But it is too late for him and his party go to back," Matthews said then. It lasts 14 minutes. The upheaval plunged the country into a 14-year bloody civil war. Mr. Kosiah was living in Switzerland when he was arrested in November 2014 and has already spent six years in pretrial detention, which will be deducted from his sentence. All Rights Reserved. The 1980 Liberian coup d'tat happened on April 12, 1980, when President William Tolbert was overthrown and murdered in a violent coup. Liberia's child soldiers: 'I know I killed people' Video, 00:03:30Liberia's child soldiers: 'I know I killed people', Sierra Leone rebel on trial for Liberia war crimes, Liberian ex-rebel goes on trial in Switzerland, 'My mother was missing - then I got a picture of her body', Modi vows punishments over deadly India rail crash, Three Israeli soldiers killed near Egypt border, 'My mother was missing, I got a picture of the body', Mystery of spy deaths in Italian boat accident. The court in the southern Swiss city of Bellinzona found him guilty of 21 out of the 25 charges that he originally faced. In his book Mask of Anarchy Steven Ellis claimed the President was found sleeping in his office,[3] where Doe's men shot him, while Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's biography, This Child Will Be Great says Tolbert was seized and killed in his bed. Why now? Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Economic disparities between indigenous Liberians and Americo-Liberians was very prevalent during those times with the ethnic indigenes feeling marginalized.
2023 - FrontPageAfrica. Liberia endured two bouts of brutal fighting from 1989 to 1997, after which Taylor became president, and 1999 to 2003. ", But Mr Dempster, who has campaigned for a court, believes that its establishment would give victims hope that their concerns could be addressed. Published Later, 13 prominent Tolbert associates were summarily tried and executed. 2023 BBC. 11:34 AM EDT, Fri June 18, 2021. But later that year he told journalists that "since we came to power [in 2018], I have not one day called for a war crimes court. Witnesses also described how one of Mr. Kosiahs associates, known as Ugly Boy, hacked open the chest of a church schoolteacher and ripped out and cut up his heart, which he, Mr. Kosiah and their associates then ate. Progressive People's Party members and their supporters were said to have conducted demonstrations in downtown Monrovia during the daylight hours in support of the coup. During his reign, Taylor is said to have meddled in another civil war raging in Sierra Leone. His words are echoed by campaigner Adama Dempster from the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia. But the recommendations were immediately mired in political controversy. A deportation from Switzerland was also ordered for a period of 15 years, it said. He does not go into any more detail. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. We must highlight that President Tolbert, as Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), was scheduled to depart Liberia on Monday, April 14, 1980 for Harare, Zimbabwe to ostensibly celebrate the inauguration of the State of Zimbabwe from the former Southern Rhodesia. Changing the day will navigate the page to that given day in history. After a peace deal was made to end the civil war, Taylor was elected Liberias president until he was forced out in 2003. 1997 - Taylor is elected president of Liberia in a . Most of them justified their actions before the tribunal's hearings.". Alieu Kosiah has been found guilty of war crimes in a Swiss court, becoming the first Liberian to be convicted over the country's civil war.
In a landmark case, Alieu Kosiah was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes committed during Liberias civil war.