Iraqi Archbishop Found Dead

By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MOSUL, Iraq – The body of a Catholic archbishop, Paulos Faraj Rahbo, was found north of Mosul.  He was abducted by gunmen while he was leaving mass on February 29.  During the kidnapping, the gunmen killed three of the archbishop’s companions.

The archbishop’s body was not tortured or shot and showed no signs of violence.  The archbishop, 65, suffered from health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes.  An official from the morgue in Mosul said that the Archbishop probably died of natural causes.

The archbishop was shot in the leg during the kidnapping and forced into the trunk of a car.  While in the trunk, he called the church from his cell phone and told them not to pay any ransom for his release.  Church officials said that Rahbo believed that the ransom  “money would not be paid for good works and would be used for killing and more evil actions.”

Pope Benedict XVI called the archbishop’s death “an act of inhumane violence that offends the dignity of human beings and gravely damages the cause of fraternal coexistence among the blessed people of Iraq.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said those behind the kidnapping would not escape justice, calling it a “horrible crime” by “a criminal, terrorist gang.”

The archbishop’s kidnapping follows a pattern of attacks against Christian churches in Iraq.  A priest and three companions were killed in a church last June.  In January 2005, Archbishop George Yasilious of Mosul was kidnapped and later released.  In October 2006, an Orthodox priest, Polis Iskander, was beheaded after he was kidnapped and attempts to ransom him failed.

In a telegram of condolence sent to the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, Pope Benedict said he hoped that the “tragic event” would at least help build a peaceful future for the country.

For more information, please see:
New York Times – Kidnapped Iraqi Archbishop is Dead – 14 March 2008

Associated Press – Archbishop’s Body Found in Iraq – 13 March 2008

BBC – Kidnapped Iraqi Archbishop Dead – 13 March 2008

Guardian – Archbishop Kidnapped in Iraq Found Dead – 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Body of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop is Found Near Northern City in Iraq – 13 March 2008

Reuters – Iraqi Archbishop Found Dead, Al Qaeda Blamed – 13 March 2008

Update on Charles Taylor Trial: Former Commander Testifies that Taylor Ordered Cannibalism, Execution of Civilians

By Ted Townsend
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor continued into its eighth week with grisly tales of cannibalism and further descriptions of terror tactics by Taylor’s ‘death squad’ commander. Joseph Marzah, also known as “Zigzag,” testified in open session that Taylor ordered his fighters in Liberia to eat the flesh of their enemies in order to “set an example for the people to be afraid.” The majority of the victims of cannibalism were members of the Krahn tribe of former Liberian president Samuel Doe, whom Taylor ousted from power in 1989. In addition, Marzah testified that Taylor ordered the forces to eat African and UN peacekeepers, specifically recalling that Taylor said the white UN peacekeepers could be “used as pork to eat.” According to Marzah, none of these atrocities were perpetrated without a direct order from Taylor.

On cross examination, the defense asked Marzah how the militia would prepare these human beings for eating. Marzah vividly described splitting, cleaning, decapitating and cooking the corpse with salt and pepper. He added, “we slit your throat, butcher you… throw away the head, take the flesh and put it in a pot… Charles Taylor knows that.” Marzah added that “when someone wants to kill you and your family, you kill and eat them for revenge.”

Marzah was with Taylor’s National Patriotic Front for Liberia (NFPL) from the beginning until the end and had risen to become Taylor’s Chief of Operations. He was also commander of the Death Squad, which specialized in executions. He agreed to testify in open session only after promises of protection were made for him and his family.

In addition to the cannibalism, Marzah testified to executions of women, children and babies. He described how he had killed so many men women and children that he had lost count, and that he had slit open the stomachs of pregnant women on multiple occasions. Marzah also vividly described the murder of babies, saying “it’s not hard, you hit them against a wall, throw them in a pit or in a river, and they are dead. And then you give the report to Charles Taylor.” He added that Taylor ordered him to kill any baby he saw, offering financial incentives to those who succeeded in executing the infants under a program called “No Baby on Target.”

Marzah and NPLF forces were told by Taylor on numerous occasions to show no mercy to civilians, believing most were collaborating with the enemy. Marzah described militia checkpoints, meant to terrify the population, where human heads were mounted on sticks, and intenstines were used to barricade roads. The militia was also encouraged to “play with human blood” so that enemy forces would fear them.

Marzah also testified that he regularly smuggled weapons and diamonds for Taylor.

On cross-examination, defense counsel Courtenay Griffiths worked to discredit Marzah’s testimony, attempting to find inconsistencies in what Marzah told prosecution investigators and attorneys in the past and what he was telling the court at the trial. Griffiths also accused Marzah of testifying because he didn’t want to be prosecuted himself, and that he was exaggerating his importance in Taylor’s organization, stating that Marzah was never senior enough in command to receive direct orders from Taylor. The Defense also focused on the fact that Taylor could not be expected to control all his commanders at one time, and that Sierra Leone and Liberia were “chaotic places over which Taylor did not have effective control.”

Taylor is accused of orchestrating atrocities during the civil war in Sierra Leone, including murder, rape, and forced conscription of children into his army. He has pled not guilty to all charges. The 59 year old is the first former African head of state to appear before an international war crimes tribunal.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Taylor ‘made rebels eat enemies’ – 13 March 2008

allAfrica.com – NPFL Insider ‘Zigzag’ Marzah alleges Taylor Ordered Atrocities in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and Traded Arms for Diamonds With the RUF – 13 March 2008

allAfrica.com – ‘Zigzag’ Marzah says Taylor Ordered Cannibalism; Defense Works to Discredit His Testimony – 14 March 2008

The Trial of Charles Taylor, http://charlestaylortrial.org – last accessed 14 March 2008

CNN.com – Top aide testifies Taylor ordered soldiers to eat victims – 13 March 2008

AFP – Former Liberian fighter describes rebel atrocities – 13 March 2008

The Associated Press – Terror Tactics Described at Taylor Trial – 13 March 2008

VOA news – Militia Commander Testifies at War Crimes Trial of Liberia’s Taylor – 12 March 2008

UPDATE: Malaysians Protest and Call for Prime Minister’s Resignation After Unprecedented Elections

PENANG, Malaysia – After an unprecedented election in which the United Malays National Organization [UMNO] went from a 91 percent majority to 63 percent majority, several hundred Malays protested and defied an nationwide ban on public demonstrations. During the protests, the hundreds of Malays chanted “Long Live the Malays” and “Allah Akhbar!” – God is great!

Newly elected legislators have moved to abolish privileges held by ethnic-Malays for more than three and half decades. The affirmative action program has granted ethnic-Malays a wide range of benefits from discounts on new houses to 30 percent quotas in initial public offerings. The movement to abolish the privileges highlights the core problems of the ethnic-based political system.

Hours after the protests, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi refused to resign despite calls from within his own party. The son of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad asked him to take responsibility for the losses in the recent election. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared that there was a “strong mandate” for him to continue because the UMNO had retained a “strong majority.” In an interview of state television, he said, “This is still a mandate given to me. I will not run away from my responsibility to carry out the wishes of the people.”

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – Malay Demonstration Highlights Ethnic Tension –14 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Malaysia Prime Minister Rejects Calls to Resign –14 March 2008

Update on Charles Taylor Trial: Former Commander Testifies that Taylor Ordered Cannibalism, Execution of Civilians

By Ted Townsend
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor continued into its eighth week with grisly tales of cannibalism and further descriptions of terror tactics by Taylor’s ‘death squad’ commander. Joseph Marzah, also known as “Zigzag,” testified in open session that Taylor ordered his fighters in Liberia to eat the flesh of their enemies in order to “set an example for the people to be afraid.” The majority of the victims of cannibalism were members of the Krahn tribe of former Liberian president Samuel Doe, whom Taylor ousted from power in 1989. In addition, Marzah testified that Taylor ordered the forces to eat African and UN peacekeepers, specifically recalling that Taylor said the white UN peacekeepers could be “used as pork to eat.” According to Marzah, none of these atrocities were perpetrated without a direct order from Taylor.

On cross examination, the defense asked Marzah how the militia would prepare these human beings for eating. Marzah vividly described splitting, cleaning, decapitating and cooking the corpse with salt and pepper. He added, “we slit your throat, butcher you… throw away the head, take the flesh and put it in a pot… Charles Taylor knows that.” Marzah added that “when someone wants to kill you and your family, you kill and eat them for revenge.”

Marzah was with Taylor’s National Patriotic Front for Liberia (NFPL) from the beginning until the end and had risen to become Taylor’s Chief of Operations. He was also commander of the Death Squad, which specialized in executions. He agreed to testify in open session only after promises of protection were made for him and his family.

In addition to the cannibalism, Marzah testified to executions of women, children and babies. He described how he had killed so many men women and children that he had lost count, and that he had slit open the stomachs of pregnant women on multiple occasions. Marzah also vividly described the murder of babies, saying “it’s not hard, you hit them against a wall, throw them in a pit or in a river, and they are dead. And then you give the report to Charles Taylor.” He added that Taylor ordered him to kill any baby he saw, offering financial incentives to those who succeeded in executing the infants under a program called “No Baby on Target.”

Marzah and NPLF forces were told by Taylor on numerous occasions to show no mercy to civilians, believing most were collaborating with the enemy. Marzah described militia checkpoints, meant to terrify the population, where human heads were mounted on sticks, and intenstines were used to barricade roads. The militia was also encouraged to “play with human blood” so that enemy forces would fear them.

Marzah also testified that he regularly smuggled weapons and diamonds for Taylor.

On cross-examination, defense counsel Courtenay Griffiths worked to discredit Marzah’s testimony, attempting to find inconsistencies in what Marzah told prosecution investigators and attorneys in the past and what he was telling the court at the trial. Griffiths also accused Marzah of testifying because he didn’t want to be prosecuted himself, and that he was exaggerating his importance in Taylor’s organization, stating that Marzah was never senior enough in command to receive direct orders from Taylor. The Defense also focused on the fact that Taylor could not be expected to control all his commanders at one time, and that Sierra Leone and Liberia were “chaotic places over which Taylor did not have effective control.”

Taylor is accused of orchestrating atrocities during the civil war in Sierra Leone, including murder, rape, and forced conscription of children into his army. He has pled not guilty to all charges. The 59 year old is the first former African head of state to appear before an international war crimes tribunal.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Taylor ‘made rebels eat enemies’ – 13 March 2008

allAfrica.com – NPFL Insider ‘Zigzag’ Marzah alleges Taylor Ordered Atrocities in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and Traded Arms for Diamonds With the RUF – 13 March 2008

allAfrica.com – ‘Zigzag’ Marzah says Taylor Ordered Cannibalism; Defense Works to Discredit His Testimony – 14 March 2008

The Trial of Charles Taylor, http://charlestaylortrial.org – last accessed 14 March 2008

CNN.com – Top aide testifies Taylor ordered soldiers to eat victims – 13 March 2008

AFP – Former Liberian fighter describes rebel atrocities – 13 March 2008

The Associated Press – Terror Tactics Described at Taylor Trial – 13 March 2008

VOA news – Militia Commander Testifies at War Crimes Trial of Liberia’s Taylor – 12 March 2008

BRIEF: China drops from list of top ten violators of human rights

BEIJING, China – The U.S. State Department removed China from a list of top 10 human rights violators, according to its annual human rights report.  But instead of placing it among the world’s worst offenders, it shifted China’s listing to: “authoritarian countries that are undergoing economic reform and have experienced rapid social change but have not undertaken democratic political reform and continue to deny their citizens basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The delisting of China upsets many rights activists, saying that China’s crackdown on dissent is getting worse as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in August.  In the past week, Chinese police crackdowned monks’ demonstrations in Lhasa, which is the capital of the remote mountainous region of Tibet. Human rights activist Hu Jia, detained after organizing a petition stating that Chinese wanted “human rights, not the Olympics,” was informed that his trial on charges of subverting state power could begin as early as this month.  A prominent human rights lawyer, Teng Biao, was abducted by the Beijing Public Security Bureau and then released two days later.  Migrant construction workers building the “new Beijing” are routinely exploited by being denied proper wages, under dangerous conditions with neither accident insurance nor access to medical and other social services.

State Department officials in Washington avoided questions about why China was dropped from the worst-offenders list, where it has appeared in each of the previous two years.  Jonathan Farrar, acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said that China’s “human rights record remains poor” and that the report gives a “very frank appraisal” on the status of human rights in the country.

For more information, please see:

Christian Science Monitor – China’s human rights rating upgraded by U.S. State Dept. – 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – U.S. drops China from list of top 10 violators of rights – 12 March 2008

Washington Post – U.S. Delisting of China Upsets Rights Activists – 13 March 2008