February 21, 2023 [Liberia] Day 17: Civilians held under a bridge
[editor’s note: mentions in brackets help clarify the text, not included in the actual testimony]
Witness Soldier 17 is heard
The prosecution questions Soldier 17
The prosecution began by asking Soldier 17 about his participation in fighting in Liberia. The witness testified that he fought in 1994 and then again from 1999 to 2001. During the latter time period, they were fighting against LURD rebels in an area extending from a bridge leading to Waterside and Slipway, in Monrovia. He had also participated in fighting in Lofa county. For him, the war began in Lofa and then later moved to Monrovia.
Soldier 17 testified that he fought in Lofa between 1998 and 1999 until his arrival in Monrovia. He fought in the NPFL, led by Charles Taylor. He himself did not mistreat civilians in Lofa, but others did. Some of the people that mistreated civilians came from Sierra Leone while others were from Liberia. They were RUF and NPFL fighters. The RUF was a revolutionary movement from Sierra Leone who came over the border to Liberia. Soldier 17 named Cow Pupu, Gabriel aka Angel Gabriel and Abbah aka One Way to Death as RUF fighters who had come from Sierra Leone to Liberia. Angel Gabriel was one of those that came over the border when things got difficult in Sierra Leone. When asked about Angel Gabriel’s rank, he explained: “You know, [in] rebel war we don’t get special ranks but we deal with manpower. Manpower, from that group that you have, can be general, commander. The more you get plenty people behind you, the higher the grade of your rank”. Angel Gabriel had one of the fighting forces on the front line.
Soldier 17 testified to having personally witnessed civilians being killed. He saw people being put in a house and then the house burned down in Sosomalohun, Bolahun and Savalahun. He saw Zigzag Marzah burn people, he gave the order to do so. He was part of the NPFL. Various RUF soldiers also were present, such as Cow Pupu, Angel Gabriel and One Way to Death. The witness testified that he did not see Angel Gabriel burning people in houses.
According to Soldier 17, they came from Lofa to Monrovia when the enemy pushed them away and “the war turned against us”. The fighting began in Lofa in 1998. Soldier 17 was stationed from the bridge that went to Slipway and Waterside, as the enemy was on the other side of the bridge. The bridge was called Waterside Bridge at the time. Civilians were being killed every day in Waterside. Civilians were killed by rocket attacks and during combat and some soldiers were also deliberately killing them.
Soldier 17 further testified about being crippled by Angel Gabriel’s bodyguard, Body Man. There was an incident where Body Man and others killed people on Water Street. There had been a misunderstanding and a fight broke out within the government troops. Roland Duo sent Grady and others to control the situation, and Benjamin Yeaten aka 50 was already there. Once the matter was settled, the troops were sent towards the bridge. Angel Gabriel gave an order to shoot anyone retreating from the bridge. As the enemy was approaching, Angel Gabriel’s bodyguards crossed the bridge. As Soldier 17 was crossing the bridge, Angel Gabriel’s bodyguards began firing. The witness was shot in the leg by an ‘AK dragon’. He was then helped to the hospital by his comrades.
The witness confirmed that he saw himself the killing of civilians by Angel Gabriel’s bodyguards on Water Street. He said that this the reason he and others got angry and the fight broke out between Angel Gabriel’s men and the men on Soldier 17’s side. According to him, a faction among Angel Gabriel’s men wanted to take women from the crowd and another faction wanted to stop them. As the two could not agree, people were killed. The incident took place at the entrance to Water Street, before a women’s clothing store. The store was located on the right side of Water Street, when looking from the bridge. Angel Gabriel also had a role in the killing as he was using a cutlass to cut the throats of some of the civilians. The witness confirmed that he personally witnessed Angel Gabriel doing so.
The enemy the witness had described was LURD, some were from Sierra Leone and some were from Guinea. The enemy was approaching from Freeport to cross the bridge. After he was hit in the leg, it took over a week before peace came to Liberia.
The witness also testified about soldiers being killed in Waterside outside of situations of combat. According to him: “if [Benjamin Yeaten] caught you with anything, he would execute you”. Soldiers also had internal fights amongst themselves. Soldier 17 had been involved in one, where somebody had robbed his house in Waterside. He went to the robber’s house and they had a shoot-out for over an hour.
The defense questions Soldier 17
The defense began by asking Soldier 17 about his interview with the Finnish police in December 2019. The witness testified that in the interview, he used the name Gabriel Massaquoi for Angel Gabriel, as that is his full name. The defense pointed out that he had said that Gabriel Wilson had killed one of Sweet Candy’s bodyguards at 99 Steps. He confirmed that he had said so to the police and explained that some people were using three or four names, sometimes more. Here, the same person was called multiple names: Angel Gabriel, Gabriel Wilson, Gabriel Massaquoi and another name that he couldn’t remember. As a person switched between different targets, they would also switch names.
The defense pointed out that the witness did not mention the name Gibril Massaquoi once during his police interview. He responded that he could not use all the names at the same time, stating that “Even my name, which you use here. If I go to another area, they use another name for me. It’s called guerrilla warfare”. He knew of the names Angel Gabriel and Gabriel Massaquoi before his interview, as they were being used in relation to operational areas. There was a discussion in court about such names, as the defense then pointed out that during his police interview, he was asked whether he knew the names Gibril Massaquoi or Angel Gabriel and he had said that he didn’t. The witness repeated his explanations that different names were used for different operations.
Soldier 17 was then asked to clarify the matter and provide all the names he knew for Angel Gabriel. The witness testified the following: his full name is Gabriel Massaquoi, during operations he was referred to as Angel Gabriel and in Sierra Leone he was called Spirit Gabriel. The man himself referred to himself as Gabriel Wilson in Waterside, in order to seem like a Liberian.
The defense pointed out that Soldier 17 had also testified in the lower court he had not heard the name Massaquoi but had used the name Gabriel Wilson at his residence. Soldier 17 denied that a name was used in connection to a particular residence as there was no specific place that he was staying in. The audio recording from his lower court testimony was played to the court, and the defense moved on with their questioning.
Soldier 17 testified that before his police interview, he did not know the reason for the investigation. Soldier 7 had called him and asked whether he knew anything about Gabriel who “did the thing in Waterside”. The defense referred to his police interview, where the witness had said that Soldier 7 told him a story about Gabriel Wilson, who was Benjamin Yeaten’s subordinate in Death Squad. The witness confirmed that Benjamin Yeaten was the head of the Death Squad and said that Soldier 7 had asked him whether he knew that man. He denied that he was told “a story” about Gabriel Wilson, stating that “This man was a man that we all were across there, so they asked me if at all I know him”.
The witness was asked about the injuries he had sustained on his legs and feet. He had injuries on both his left leg and his right leg which had been amputated, as well as other injuries under his arm and on his head. He testified that Body Man shot him on the bridge crossing from Water Street, in Monrovia. Kill the Bitch was a man in the same group as Body Man. In that unit, there were over five people who used the name Trouble, including Soldier 17 himself and Body Man. The defense pointed out that Solider 17 had named the person who injured him as Trouble in his police interview, Kill the Bitch at the lower court and Body Man at the appeals court. The witness explained that Body Man, Trouble and Kill the Bitch were all present that day, as they were controlling the gate. They all shot and he was hit, he could not say exactly who had shot him. As he was brought back from the hospital, there were three people at the front and three at the back of the gate. The defense played the audio recording of his testimony at the lower court, where he had said that on a bridge between Lofa County and Bong County, Kill the Bitch had shot him in his kneecap and that Angel Gabriel was there. The witness responded that there was a difference between the different incidents.
Soldier 17 then further testified about the events on Water Street in Monrovia. One of their bodyguards, whose name he could not remember, had been killed on Water Street before he went to investigate the situation. He recalled a man named Bulldog, he was the biggest man and a bodyguard. According to the witness, something happened to Bulldog in Waterside, but he did not know what. He could not estimate how old Bulldog was at the time.
The witness then went to describe the different weapons that Angel Gabriel used. According to him, Angel Gabriel had a cutlass that he used as his “secret weapon that he used to butcher people with”, as well as an assigned gun. According to Soldier 17, Angel Gabriel killed one of their bodyguards on Water Street, “that was what brought the confusion” before Fifty got there. The witness saw it himself when Angel Gabriel killed the bodyguard by shooting, and there were bodies “all over”. The defense referred to his police interview, where the witness had said that Sweet Candy ordered everyone to look where the bodyguard had been killed, so he, Solder 4 and Robertson went. Soldier 17 confirmed this. He could not recall the name of the bodyguard that had been killed but said that he was one of Roland Duo’s bodyguards and had also been with them. The defense asked the witness if the bodyguard that he saw being killed, and the one whose body he was sent to look for, were the same person. He responded that: “Soldiers died, there were many that were killed”. According to him, both civilians and soldiers were killed at 99 steps. He explained that “99 steps was a bypass area where people used to kill their friends for looting”.
Soldier 17 then testified that he did not know whether Bodyman was killed or injured in Waterside, as they were not close. The defense pointed out that at the lower court, the witness had testified that Bodyman was the only soldier killed at 99 Steps. The witness then stated that Bodyman was one of Roland Duo’s bodyguards and he was killed between Water Street and 99 Steps. As he was killed, a firefight broke out and Sweet Candy ordered them, Soldier 17, Soldier 4 and Soldier 1 to go onto the scene.
The witness confirmed that Sweet Candy did not promise him any benefits when he asked him to come and testify. Sweet Candy had said that if he came to testify, they would help him to get a new leg.
Finally, the witness named Zigzag Massaquoi, Zigzag Marzah, Fifty and Benjamin Yeaten as soldiers who killed people at 99 Steps. Benjamin Yeaten had seen people loot a store with rice, the store was welded shut and he ordered the killing of the looters with a four-barrel anti-air gun.
It was pointed out that the witness identified someone other than the defendant as Gabriel Wilson from the series of photographs presented to him at his police interview.
Witness Civilian 76 is heard
The prosecution questions Civilian 76
The prosecution began by asking Civilian 76 whether she had experienced anything particular during a crisis in Monrovia. The witness testified that she used to live in Red Light district and sell goods in Waterside. One morning, as she went to Waterside, the whole place was upside down. People were running all over the place and gunshots were fired. The witness began to run as well. A gate was closed right before the bridge and she was captured and tied up. There were people being captured and people being killed. The witness described a man called Angel Massaquoi, Angel Gabriel Massaquoi giving orders and after people had been killed, he gave orders for them to be taken to West Point. She then saw a man she knew. He asked what she was doing there all tied up and she explained to him that she was running and had been captured. The man asked the man who was giving orders to release her, she was released and was able to flee the scene.
The witness further testified that she was captured in Waterside, near a biscuit store that was located on the left when coming from West Point, right before the bridge. The bridge was called Old Bridge at the time and the store was not too far from the bridge. Civilian 76 saw people being killed by the store by Angel Massaquoi, who ordered his men to kill people. Angel Massaquoi was speaking English. The witness could not estimate how many people were killed by the store, exclaiming: “I was not to myself”.
Civilian 76 testified that from the store, she was taken to a gate at the bridge. People were killed there and bodies were carried towards West Point. She did not personally know anyone that died by the store or the gate. She could not remember how Angel Gabriel Massaquoi was dressed. According to the witness, the war that was going on at the time was called World War I, in 2001. She could not estimate how long it took after the incident before peace came to Liberia, as she left and went straight to the bush right afterwards. According to Civilian 76, Angel Massaquoi spoke ‘in British’.
The witness had not heard any news on a person being arrested in relation to the events in Waterside before her interview with the Finnish police. When she came back from the bush, her friend, who she used to sell with at Waterside, told her that people had come to talk about it. This friend had said that she was sitting talking about the war, and a man was watching and listening. He then came up to her and told her that they were searching for people with information about the events in Waterside. This man was called Employee 1. Civilian 76 asked her friend for Employee 1’s number and called him from the bush. Later, she met Employee 1 and the Finnish police in Monrovia.
According to Civilian 76, the fighting at the time of the incident was between government troops and LURD. She did not know where LURD was at the time.
The defense questions Civilian 76
The defense began by asking Civilian 76 about the gate. The witness explained that the gate was between the store and the bridge. The defense pointed out that she had told the police that the ‘checkpoint’ was about a five minutes’ walk from Waterside Market. The witness explained that the gate served as a checkpoint: “When you reach at the gate, they will check, so we call it [a] checkpoint”. It had a long rope crossing the road. Civilian 76 had told the police that the checkpoint had a white and blue building, and she confirmed this. She explained that the building had been replaced by a store, but it was painted white and blue at the time and it had an upstairs.
Civilian 76 heard the name Angel first and then the names Angel Massaquoi and Gabriel Massaquoi. These names were all for the same person. Angel Massaquoi was the commander. The defense referred to her police interview, where the witness had said that she had heard the names Chief Angel and Angel but had not mentioned Angel Massaquoi or Gabriel Massaquoi. The witness explained that a long time had passed since the incident and things can be forgotten. The police investigation was the first time she had spoken with white people and she was scared. The defense pointed out that Civilian 76 had also not used the names Angel Gabriel Massaquoi or Gabriel Massaquoi in the lower court but had mentioned Angel Gabriel. She repeteated that a long time had passed and things come to mind when one thinks about the past.
The witness testified that the first time she saw Angel Gabriel Massaquoi was at the gate that she had been taken to after being captured. The defense pointed out that she had told the police that he walked with them from Waterside Market to the checkpoint, which she denied. An audio recording of her police interview was played before the court. After listening to the recording, the witness maintained her testimony that she saw Massaquoi once she had been taken to the checkpoint.
The defense then pointed out that Civilian 76 had told the police that when Angel Gabriel arrived at the checkpoint, he had ordered for her to be tied up and that he would send her to God when the time was right. Civilian 76 explained that she was not tied up at the market, but at Waterside, and then she was taken to the gate. She was tied up between Red Light and Waterside, while people were running around.
According to Civilian 76, her friend [REDACTED] is not a witness in this trial as she is sick. At the checkpoint, there were children and child soldiers, but not babies.
It was pointed out that the witness identified the defendant as Angel from the series of photographs presented to her at her police interview.
Witness Civilian 72 is heard
The prosecution questions Civilian 72
The prosecution began by asking Civilian 72 where she was in Liberia during a war. The witness testified that she lived on Lover Street in ELWA Junction, Monrovia. She was selling biscuits, sweets and other small goods at the junction, and one day she had ran out of things to sell. Her friends told her to go to Waterside. As they got there, they were standing waiting to buy goods, when people suddenly started running around in panic. The witness and her friends tried to leave but they were arrested. They were taken to a main checkpoint. The witness testified: “When we reached the main check point on that day I remember human being intestines on the gate. On the checkpoint of the gate. Human being heads on poles. If you don’t salute the head, they will kill you”.
According to Civilian 72, ‘the main man’ at the checkpoint told his bodyguards to take them under the bridge, saying ‘I will come and deal with them there’. As the main man was coming, he had a pregnant woman with him. This woman was being taken under the bridge and the man began to argue with his friend as to whether she was pregnant with a boy or a girl. The witness testified that the chief said “I, myself, Angel Gabriel, will take out this child”. He cut the woman’s stomach open and took the dead fetus out, it was a girl. The chief began celebrating, “I told you all it was a girl, I won”. Right after, the chief asked for a butchering board, which he used to slaughter people. The witness described how he slaughtered her friend right before her eyes, exclaiming “They used to treat human beings like dogs”.
Civilian 72 testified that they were there until the evening and then they were put on a pickup and taken to Lover Street. Women were put on one side and men on the other and they were told that the place was not safe, as every night one person was taken away and didn’t come back. They all began crying and shouting. A man came over and asked “What are you doing here?” He then opened a back gate and told the people to escape, and they left.
According to Civilian 72, three of them went to Waterside that day. She could only remember the name of one of her friends, [REDACTED]. They were all arrested in Waterside, there were bodies all around, some hand their hands cut off and some had no heads. The checkpoint was in Waterside, the main one was on the bridge and there was another one underneath it. The witness didn’t know the name of the ‘main man’ to start off with but came to know it when he brought the pregnant woman under the bridge. The witness described: “As he opened the woman’s stomach, he said out loud ‘I, Angel Gabriel, did this’”. She heard his name from the man himself. Angel Gabriel opened the woman’s stomach and took the fetus out. Civilian 72 witnessed this personally, as well as the slaughtering of her friend. This friend was not the one she had previously named. The witness testified that she saw bodies “in the water, the road, everywhere [was] scattered with bodies. I was so confused that day”.
Civilian 72 testified that Chief Angel Gabriel had a Liberian army uniform, but he was not a soldier. She was asked what she meant by that and responded: “He killed innocent people. Soldiers help people”.
Civilian 72 saw Angel Gabriel at the checkpoint and under the bridge. The bridge was called Waterside Bridge. Angel Gabriel was speaking like a Sierra Leonean and not like a Liberian. At the time, World War I was being fought in Monrovia. The witness was 12 at the time. She had not heard any news about someone being arrested in Finland in relation to the events in Waterside before her police interview.
The defense questions Civilian 72
The defense began their questioning by asking how Civilian 72 got contacted by the Finnish police. Civilian 72 testified that they used to go to a Fulah store to discuss sports and wartime events. Someone there began talking about the war and the witness mentioned that she was there. A person asked for her phone number and said that someone might call. After a couple of days, she got a phone call and was told that people would like to meet with her. She stated: “That was what brought me this far. And I happen to be sitting here today. To see the end of that man. If you kill innocent people you will feel the consequence”.
Next, there was discussion as to whether the person that the witness met at the store called her before she spoke to the man that she later met at the hotel or not. The witness provided the name of the person who brought her to the meeting with the Finnish police, which was Employee 1. The person she had met at the store had not told Civilian 72 that he had been asked to find witnesses to this trial.
Civilian 72 testified that she had been in business in Monrovia since her teenage years and she does not live in Monrovia anymore. According to the witness, the bodies with severed heads had also been cut from the chest so that one could see inside the body. That was the first time she had seen inside a human body.
It was pointed out that the witness identified the defendant as Angel Gabriel from the series of photographs presented to her at her police interview.