George Boley

George Eutychianus Saigbe Boley (born December 7, 1949 in Putu ; Republic of Liberia) is a Liberian politician, he was Minister of the Liberian President William R. Tolbert junior and the later President Samuel K. Doe . Boley is considered a central figure in the Liberian Civil War .

Life

Origin, family and professional training

Boley, a member of the West African Krahn people , was born in Liberia in 1945. Boley graduated from State University College Brockport , USA , and holds a PhD in Philosophy. He is married to an American and has seven children. His son Christian Boley studies at the University of Maryland and is a well-known wrestler . Boley is also a US citizen .

The rise and fall of the Tolbert government

In the 1970s, Boley returned to his native Liberia and worked in administration. He was appointed by President Tolbert as "Junior Minister for Education" in his government and became politically active there to support his ethnic group (Krahn).

Various causes led to a state crisis in Liberia in 1979, to which the ailing Tolbert government reacted with police violence and reprisals against the population. There was a heated dispute in the government about the further course of government policy, with the then Justice Minister Joseph Chesson demanding a tough crackdown in order to stabilize the situation. During this time, Boley had several contacts with political opposition members, which led to his immediate imprisonment on March 10, 1980 at Chesson's instigation and was associated with the loss of his civil rights and political mandates. A Liberian court martial immediately sentenced Boley to death for high treason and determined the date of his execution for April 14, 1980. The military coup of Samuel K. Doe on April 12, 1980 saved his life and helped him to freedom, his adversary - Justice Minister Joseph Chesson - was killed by the coup plotters.

Renewed rise in the Doe government

When Doe began to form a civil government, Boley was appointed "Minister of Presidential Affairs" by him, and later he became "Minister of Education" in a cabinet reshuffle. Both politicians belong to the Krahn people . Boley's activities in the government were initially directed against surviving supporters of the Tolbert government, whom he accused of corruption and nepotism , he was in possession of the relevant documents, but was stopped by Doe in this project, because Boley's project had the appearance of a campaign of revenge.

Escape to the USA

The outbreak of the Liberian Civil War led to anarchy and chaos in Liberia after Doe's assassination in September 1990. Boley first fled to the USA with his family, he is an American citizen, lived and worked in his adopted home in the US state of New York as a respected citizen.

Return to Liberia

At the urging of his followers, Boley returned to Liberia in 1993 to fight as the military leader of his people (Krahn). As a warlord, he was now a declared opponent of the warlords Charles Taylor and Yormie Johnson . From his supporters, Boley formed the National Democratic Party of Liberia and took part as an opposing candidate in the presidential elections of July 19, 1997, where he won only 1.26 percent.

Boley becomes a warlord

After Taylor's election victory, Boley joined the opposition and, as a warlord, controlled southeast Liberia after the renewed outbreak of civil war. During this time, numerous war crimes were committed in the area by his followers. As a military leader, Boley also used child soldiers in his ranks , which resulted in immediate imprisonment and indictment as a war criminal on his return to the USA in January 2009.

Imprisonment and prosecution as a war criminal

Boley's imprisonment in the United States led to violent clashes in Liberia, as his followers see him as a folk hero, while political opponents brand him a war criminal. At the same time, the case is politically explosive for US judicial history, as Boley was already a US citizen at the time of the crimes he was accused of.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c} Sanford J. Ungar: Liberia: A Revolution, or Just Another Coup? In: The Atlantic Monthly . tape 247 , 1981, ISSN  1072-7825 , pp. 23-30 . ( Full text as digitized version)
2. ↑ George Boley in the en: Wikipedia
3. ^ Elections in Liberia (1997). In: African Elections Database. Retrieved December 29, 2010 . 
4. ↑ We Cannot Prosecute Warlords. In: Online portal: "Daily Observer" (2010-02-10). Retrieved January 2, 2011 . 
5. ↑ Jeffrey Goldberg : George Boley, Liberian Warlord, Is Finally Under Arrest . In: The Atlantic Monthly . tape 276 , 2010, ISSN  1072-7825 . ( Full text as digitized version)
6. ↑ Dr. “George Boley… the Notorious LPC”: A Response (Guest Commentary). In: Online portal: "The Liberian Journal" (2010-03-09). Retrieved January 2, 2011 .