Thursday, July 5, 2012

Part V: 10 Reasons Why Madam Sirleaf Is Witch-hunting Grand Gedeans

By Gibson W. Jerue
PART V:
Andrew Dorbor was already languishing in NSA cell, no blanket, and sleeping on the cold floor. He ate once a day, and the food was kicked to him like a dog. Meanwhile, he was being tortured, his penis burned with lit cigarette, and his wife and family members denied access to him. His name would remain Mohammed and he dare answer his own name. Nobody knows in Monrovia, not even the Grand Gedean community. He is not charged and now six months going with no prosecution. He lived everyday as a living dead; one minute he thought he would be killed tonight, and the next minute he sigh a relief as a living being.

Then NSA agents went to the residence of Charles Julu at Congo Town, where he lived with his wife and kids. By the way, Julu had been living right opposite Charles Taylor’s residence even when Taylor was living there. Not a day Taylor suspected Julu. At the same time Julu had been hospitalized for hypertension twice and was suffering from diabetes. He hardly walked around these days and was practically confined to his home, while his wife, Janet, ran the round to find daily bread.

But for Madam Sirleaf, she must punish this man who led her into detention in 1984 at the Schieflin, where she said “Krahn soldiers tortured” her. She must suck the last breath out of him before she rested. Once Julu was still breathing air from his nostril, Ellen must pull he plug off him. And the way to do it was to slam him with some fake trump-up charges. Of all the capital offenses, high treason was the best option to do the dirty job. She could have accused him of high treason but then it was hard to proof it. Then the consolation charge was sedition, which according to Liberian penal code is a crime that can be slammed on anyone even “by words of mouth”. This is the only first degree felony that remains controversial. It carries a maximum of five years in jail with hard labor. Well, then, Julu with his ailing health in jail for five years with hard labor, he is a dead meat. “That Krahn bastard is finished,” Ellen must have thought.

Then in February of 2007, security forces were sent overnight, not during working time, to Julu’s residence to arrest him. They went in the night as if this man was in hiding. He did not resist arrest, for he knew all too well that a slight resistance would have led to his death right there and then, knowing what Liberian security forces are capable of. His wife yelled all she could her husband was in a dragnet that Madam Sirleaf set up for him. She is the gamer, no way to get out of this one. So he is detained at NSA. After three months, Julu had not been charged. Add three months to five years in case he was convicted, Julu was definitely moving towards the grave that the “big gamer” dug for him. Then his wife alerted the Gbarzon District citizens in Monrovia. The group wrote a press release and circulated it. I did not receive one. After two days, no newspaper had broken the news. So, one of the Gbarzon citizens rushed to my office with the release, “Brother Jerue, Julu is in jail and nothing is being heard of him. Can you do something about this?” I was shock that my own people did not see the wisdom to come to me first. But then this was not time to question people who are trying to save an endangered soul. Right away I launched my investigation. As I arrived at Fomba Sirleaf office, his office Assistant told me, “My boss is not answerable to you. Don’t waste your time, he won’t talk to you.” In journalism that was his side of the story. So I published the story.

The next day the government of Liberia prosecution team ran to the Temple of Justice and drew a writ of arrest and applied for an indictment with the Grand Inquest. In less than three hours, the charge was slammed. Julu’s indictment was the fastest ever I have seen with my more then 10 years covering the Judiciary. Julu was now a man who wanted to overthrow the Liberian government. Together with Andrew Dorbor they were in detention, without Julu knowing he has his brother in jail right there. Nobody knew anymore whether Dorbor was transferred or not. I was running my stories and commentaries and government was denying and admitting at the same time. Then the government published a press statement that I was writing tribalistic articles, branding me a tribalist. I went on 50-50 talk show with T-Mas Jlateh and agreed that I am a tribalist, knowing to be a tribalist was not all wrong. But I told the government, they must send the two gentlemen to court to prosecute them if they had evidence against them. Due to the importance of this part, I will split this part into two. 

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