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Grounding George Dweh
& Others for War Crimes is the Right Call
Friday, April 29,
2005
By Tewroh-Wehtoe
Sungbeh
I
hate to be in George Dweh's shoes. They are not big for me,
though; I just don't want to try on the shoes or wear them
because of the person whose name is attached to them.
George
Dweh wore those shoes in Liberia and elsewhere during the
civil war, but will not be able to wear them to travel out
of his country anymore.
Dweh
and others, according to resolutions 1521 and 1571, of the
United Nations Security Council Committee, are now on the
list of individuals who cannot leave Liberia because of the
roles they played individually during the Liberian civil
war.
The
United Nations Security Council Committee even cited Dweh
for his often inflammatory and anti-peace rhetoric in
Liberia, and concluded that “his statements and activities
undermine the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and his actions
contravene the spirit of the disarmament declaration.”
Had
George Dweh carried himself like a model citizen, admired
and respected by many, I would’ve attempted to wear those
shoes and proudly walk in his footsteps. Liberian kids,
inspired by this modern day hero probably would’ve wanted to
be like George, and try to measure up to the man they
believed gave so much for his country.
However,
George Dweh, the relative of the late former President
Samuel Kanyon Doe, whose name is synonymous with the
Liberian civil war, indiscriminate killings and rape, is a
far cry from being a statesman, and is not the man whose
shoes anyone would want to walk in at this time.
George Dweh
Aware of his violent past and refusing
to be a real man who would take the blame for his deadly
role during the civil war, the unapologetic Dweh failed to
grow up, be responsible for his deadly role, and failed to
ask for forgiveness for the pain he caused many. Instead,
Dweh took a different approach – the one of arrogance when
he formally introduced himself to the Liberian people.
Instead of gradually winning his ways into the hearts of
his fellow citizens by apologizing, sincerely committing
himself to the peace process, and rehabilitating his
checkered image, George Dweh, the bully forced his way into
the hearts of the Liberian people by defying and challenging
them on everything they ever believed in; and did the
unthinkable by going directly from a wanted war criminal to
becoming Speaker of the Interim Transitional Legislative
Assembly.
Unfortunately for Dweh, his friends in that chamber turned
on him, and later suspended him indefinitely from his job
for embezzling $92,000 of government money. An angry Dweh
vowed to get his job back.
George Dweh is not the only one who believes he’s above the
laws of the land. And something must be done to bring Dweh
and his group of friends back to earth to feel the pain they
inflicted on others.
Even
as we discussed George Dweh, other members of the Liberian
interim assembly, and others working directly with the
interim government, are individuals whose hands are still
dripping with the blood of our children and other family
members they killed before negotiating their way into their
current positions.
What
kind of nonsense is this, anyway? How does George Dweh and
those guys think families across Liberia feels when they see
those who killed their relatives are elevated to higher
positions, instead of being punished after the end of the
war?
What
kind of message is George Dweh, the former speaker and
others are sending to the people of Liberia and the world;
that they can do anything to anybody, without ever going to
jail or face execution one day for their wicked acts against
their people?
Are we
saying that Liberia is a lawless country, where one can kill
as many people he or she can, only to later force their way
into a government job without ever appearing in a court of
law, and can walk around the country as government officials
who cannot be prosecuted?
This is
terrible, and it is not helping Liberia, but the killers who
are now benefiting from the pain and destruction they caused
an entire country and its citizens.
There
are 52 other individuals on the travel ban list, including
Guus Kouwenhoven, who was arrested recently in the
Netherlands. Some of the suspects left Liberia before their
names surfaced. The other names on the list include Charles
Taylor and his many wives.
I will
shed no tears for George Dweh and the remaining fugitives,
because I don’t have any more tears left at this time to
spill. However, if I have to shed some later, I would rather
cry for the victims who never got to reach this day, but
died senselessly, at the cold hands of George Dweh and his
comrades in arms.
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