The afternoon session of the trial began with a witness named Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith is a farmer and minister of a church in Waterside, Liberia. The witness said he was born in Waterside and was living there in 1999. He was asked if he knew Chucky Taylor and he said that he had seen him from a distance in 1999 and only saw him once. He had heard Chucky was the President’s son. The defense attorney asked if the witness had ever seen Chucky tie someone near Waterside, shoot someone, order to cut someone’s head off, ordered someone to be shot, or seen severed heads in Waterside to which the witness answered “no” to all. Then the Government Prosecutor asked the witness some questions. Then in redirect the defense attorney asked if the witness had talked with people at church and under the plum tree. He said he had and did choir practice and fundraising with the church. The defense attorney then asked if anyone ever told him that they had seen severed heads at the gate at Waterside to which he said “no.”
The defense attorney then called a witness named Ms. Tarso who also lives in Waterside, Bong County, in Liberia. The witness had trouble understanding the D.A.’s questions and so a translator had to be used. The translator was suffering from laryngitis which made the translations a bit more difficult to understand. The witness said she had lived in Waterside for 30 years and was not married as her husband had died in a war but had 5 children. She earns her living by selling food that she cooks in her home. She would cook the food and walk it to people. From the house where she lived in 1999 she could see the checkpoint. It was only the distance from one side of the courtroom to the other. She said there were “too plenty” refugees coming across the bridge into Waterside. She was asked if she helped the refugees and said that she gave them whatever they wanted and did nothing else for them. She said they came all day and all night. She said in 1999 she saw Chucky Taylor in Waterside twice. The first time she was behind a bush cutting and heard soldiers running and heard a big man coming so she came out and saw soldiers that were running then standing and the big man was talking. He looked like a white man she said. He was far from her but the people said it was Chucky. She said he went back again another time and when he got to the gate he got down from a car and there were soldiers there. He had a kitchen there and was talking to the soldiers. She said “we civilians had to stand far.” After talking he got in the car and moved. They had brought rice for all the people that were there. She was asked as the previous witness was whether she had ever seen Chucky shoot anyone, cut someone’s head off, or see heads displayed at the checkpoint to which she also responded in the negative. She also said that she never heard from friends or neighbors that people had seen severed heads at the checkpoint. The prosecutor then questioned the witness with the help of the translator. The witness said that she would often run away and come back again to Waterside. She said that “all of us” ran away. When they would hear gunshots and that people were coming they would run away. If fighting was coming they would leave. When asked if she ran away from Waterside in 1999 she said that she used to go away for a week and then return. The refugees (IDP’s) would come through Waterside fleeing from the fighting. She was asked who the previous president of Liberia was and said she had heard it was Charles Taylor but had never seen him. That at that time she wasn’t there. She said she was with her husband and heard war was coming so went to Guinea and stayed a long time there.
The Defense’s third and last witness that afternoon was a man named Peewee. Peewee lived a 5 minute walk from Waterside. He said in 1997 the president was Charles Taylor. His current job is as a farmer and in 1999 was also a farmer. He said he would not go to his farm everyday because of war. He was shown a picture of writing on a wall that said “Mission Possible Base” with a symbol of a scorpion below it. He said he saw the symbol for the first time in 1997. Many IDP’s were coming because of war. They walked with loads on their heads. When asked if the witness knew who Chucky Taylor was he responded that he was the President’s son. He said he had seen him come to Waterside one or two times. He said that Chucky had brought food for the soldiers. The witness was also asked about seeing severed heads at the checkpoint to Waterside and responded that he had not. Then the Prosecution asked him some questions relating to the seasons they went by there and what his definition or understanding of what a year was. The prosecutor asked if it was true that they didn’t want to talk about the things the soldiers did. He agreed that it was not something the people liked to talk about.
After the witness and jury were dismissed for the day the defense attorney informed the court that they would likely rest their case in 2 or 3 more court days and so expected closing in the upcoming week. The defense attorney also requested to show as evidence to the jury how witnesses are paid and fed and the government had no objection.
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