November 29th 2024.
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Prince Johnson, a former warlord and senator from Liberia. He was 72 years old. Johnson was known for his brutal tactics during the civil war, which shocked the world and left a lasting impact on the nation.
One of the most infamous incidents involving Johnson was when he and his men videotaped themselves drinking Budweiser while cutting off the ears of the nation's former president. Despite these shocking actions, Johnson remained active in politics after the war ended and was elected as a senator in 2006.
According to Siafa Jallah, deputy director of press relations at the Liberian senate, Johnson passed away today at a local hospital in Paynesville, a suburb of Monrovia. His death has brought back memories of the devastating civil wars in Liberia, which claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003. The wars were marked by mass killings, torture, and sexual violence.
Johnson was listed as one of the "most notorious perpetrators" by the country's post-war truth and reconciliation committee. He was accused of various crimes, including killing, extortion, massacre, torture, and rape. Despite these accusations, neither Johnson nor the other seven leaders of warring factions were ever tried in Liberia. Some were later convicted overseas, such as former president Charles Taylor, who is currently serving a 50-year sentence in the UK. Another rebel commander, Mohammed Jabbateh, was sentenced to 30 years in the US for heinous crimes including slicing a baby out of a pregnant woman's stomach.
Earlier this year, President Joseph Boakai signed an executive order to create a war crimes court to deliver justice to the victims of the civil wars. However, the court has yet to begin operating. Adama Dempster, a Liberian human rights advocate, expressed regret that Johnson was not able to testify before the proposed tribunal before his death. "It's a sad and meaningful moment for the accountability process," he said.
In 1990, at the age of 38, Johnson led a rebel faction that invaded Monrovia and captured former President Samuel Doe. He then tortured Doe in front of a rolling camera. The infamous footage shows Johnson sitting in a chair with his feet up on a table, holding a bottle of beer. He taunts Doe as his men strip the president and cut off his ears, causing blood to stream down his temple. Doe later died, and according to a witness who testified in front of the truth and reconciliation commission, Johnson even displayed Doe's head on a platter.
During this time, Johnson also executed a relief worker wearing a Red Cross bib, accusing him of profiteering from rice sales. An Associated Press photographer who witnessed the scene reported that the victim briefly lifted his head and asked "Why, why?" before Johnson shot him with an AK-47.
After the war ended, Johnson became a born-again Christian and an ordained preacher. He then went on to be elected as a senator representing Nimba County. The country eventually banned the sale of the notorious torture tape that was once widely available at street-side stalls.
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