''All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'' - Edmund Burke

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S I E R R A  H E R A L D

Vol 8 No 7

The tendency sometimes to protect perpetrators for the sake of peace...doesn't help society. Impunity should not be allowed to stand. - Kofi Annan on Waki report

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Wednesday December 15, 2010 - ICC Prosecutor Moreno Luis OcampoOn this day, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the ICC, finally made public the names of the six people the court has levied charges against. These were the names of people, the ICC believed bore the greatest responsibility for the post-election violence (PEV) of 2007 that claimed more than a thousand lives, traumatised hundreds of thousands and left a yet to be determined number of Kenyans forced to flee their own homes in their own God-given country.

The accused are in two groups. One group includes

William Samoei Ruto,

Henry Kiprono Kosgey and

Joshua Arap Sang while the other includes

Francis Kirimi Muthaura,

Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and

Mohamed Hussein Ali.Joshua Arap Sang at his radio station KASS FM

Documents on the ICC website on the matter states (kindly note that PEV stands for Post Election Violence. The ODM is the former top opposition Orange Democratic Movement led by Raila Odinga, the present Prime Minister in the power-sharing government, while PNU, the Party of National Unity was the ruling party led by President Mwai Kibaki. He was hurriedly sworn in as winner and President after the 2007 polls even though the head of the electoral commission admitted in an interview to world broadcasters that he did not really know who had won the polls.) - :

The Prosecutor has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity were committed, in the first Prosecution case, by:

1. William Samoei Ruto - currently: Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (suspended), MP for Eldoret North and during the PEV, MP for Eldoret North. The Prosecution considers that he was one of the principal planners and organizers of crimes against PNU supporters;

2. Henry Kiprono Kosgey - currently: Minister of Industrialization, MP for Tinderet Constituency, ODM Chairman and during the PEV: MP for Tinderet. The Prosecution considers that he was one of the principal planners and organizers of crimes against PNU supporters; and

3. Joshua Arap Sang - currently Head of Operations, KASS FM and during the PEV: Radio broadcaster. The Prosecution considers that he was one of the principal planners and organizers of crimes against PNU supporters. The head of the Kenya public service

And in the second Prosecution case, by:

4. Francis Kirimi Muthaura - during the PEV and to date: Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet and Chairman of the National Security Advisory Committee. The Prosecution considers that he authorized the Police to use excessive force against ODM supporters and to facilitate attacks against ODM supporters.

5. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta - currently: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. The Prosecution considers that during the PEV he helped to mobilize the Mungiki criminal organization to attack ODM supporters; and

6. Mohamed Hussein Ali - currently: Chief Executive of the Postal Corporation of Kenya and during the PEV he was Commissioner of the Kenya Police. The Prosecution considers that during the PEV he authorized the use of excessive force against ODM supporters and facilitated attacks against ODM supporters.

The names announced and their role in both government and the opposition should send a warning signal to politicians in Sierra Leone more so the ruling APC party led by President Koroma whose operatives appear hell-bent on him either winning a second term in 2012 or ......

Kindly take a look at the main actors now facing trial

Mohamed Hussein Ali was the head of the police being the first man to have been moved from the Air Force to head the Police - an anomaly still to be explained by President Kibaki because, according to the ICC, there was cooperation between the pro-Kibaki and Kikuyu Mungiki and pro-PNU youth and in their attacks against the ODM supporters, perceived or otherwise, the head of the police turned a blind eye. "The Police under Ali did not prevent the attacks or punish its instigators. Even when middle level perpetrators were arrested, they were rapidly released without any charges".Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Henry Kosgey - Picture: Daily Nation

"The cooperation between the Kenyan Police Forces and the Mungiki and the pro-PNU youth is confirmed by the lack of police intervention before, during and after the attacks. Despite knowing the identity and location of Mungiki perpetrators, the Kenyan Police Forces did not prevent the attacks or punish its instigators. The few mid-level perpetrators who were arrested were rapidly released, without any charges, after the intervention of local civil or political authorities."

Compare police action in Sierra Leone against the main opposition SLPP and APC operatives caught red-handed in violent acts against perceived SLPP supporters.

Go back in time too and hear former head of the Police Brima Acha Kamara telling the BBC that SLPP supporters attacked the SLPP offices, ransacked rooms and carted away any available item.

Brima Acha stated that the attacks were carried out by SLPP supporters who had not been paid for work done for the party and that the attackers were on a "pay yourself" mission.

When one Idrissa Kamara, aka Leatherboot a one-time bag carrier for former NPRC Mines minister Reginald Glover and one Soriba who played a similar role to Tom Nyuma attacked the man at a hotel in Bo and even though evidence obtained saw the police bringing charges and court action against them, the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Serry Kamal used his infamous nolle prosequi card to let them off the hook!!!

Leatherboot is now President Koroma's Chief Protector and Chief Buddy never mind photographic and video evidence of him in action as the police and ruling party activists sacked the offices of the opposition yet again.Former Police Chief Ali

The head of the police, one Francis Munu has been kicked upstairs ahead of more senior officers and the recruitment of APC party loyalists continues unabated both in the Police and the army - all aimed at intimidating voters come 2012.

The Sierra Herald had in one edition given a nutshell account of what now passes for the OSD. This is the paramilitary police unit, a purely APC party creation whose top echelon are sworn to and dedicated to keeping the APC in power at all cost. Members of this force seen openly dancing and singing when Ernest Bai Koroma was declared the winner of the 2007 run-off polls and dare you ask why?

So how did a radio journalist get involved to the extent that he now has his name on the ICC list?

For this we would refer you to what happened in Rwanda and a particular publication, the Kangura.

We would also refer you to other journalists who used their positions of influence to turn things upside down in favour of their masters despite massive human rights abuses committed by their masters.

In Sierra Leone listeners in 1997 can recall former BBC broadcaster Hilton Fyle and his chat show on his "We Believe in God" FM radio in Freetown.

Despite the massive crackdown on journalists during AFRC repression, there were consenting newspaper editors who were allowed to carry on while others were forced underground. Two of those who gained the favour of the original AFRC during those troubled days were -

Expo Times with editors like Ibrahim Seaga Shaw and Gibril Koroma and yes you guessed it - the Torchlight edited by one Sheka (Shekito)Tarawallie.Former Education minister Ruto

When the rights group Amnesty International condemned the massive human rights abuses by the AFRC of Johnny Paul Koroma, the Expo Times came out with this article in support of extra-judicial executions of all those thought to be critical of the junta.

Here's the observation of one colleague when he heard of the ICC charges against radio journalist Joshua Arap Sang. He too, has a warning for colleagues in Uganda as that country prepares for elections.

To end we would like to add our little warning to those who see no wrong in one Ernest Bai Koroma and are allowing themselves to become, willingly too, disciples and propagators of intolerance, hate and unbridled venom against anyone perceived to be critical of the actions of their demi-god Ernest Bai Koroma.

Yearning for the mother country?

The right choice is Kevin McPhilips Travel

©Sierra Herald 2002