Testifying Thursday at rural public hearings in Sanniquellie City, Nimba County, Sei Kokeh, a principal of the LAMCO School System during the executions, said Julu personally executed D.K. Wonseleah and Eugene Zekial before an AFL private Pewee Z. David assigned with him executed scores of other Nimbaians after the November 12, 1985 abortive invasion of General Thomas Quinwonkpah.
"After Samuel Kanyon Doe was heard on Radio Nimba announcing that the coup had failed, Charles Julu went on a campaign rounding up scores of prominent Nimba citizens he perceived were sympathetic to the coup makers. Gen. Julu who was then PPF Chief personally executed D.K. Wonseleah and Eugene Zekiel," the witness testified.
He said the men were stripped naked they were shot by Gen. Julu at the LAMCO firing range and their bodies displayed before the PPF headquarters in Yekepa.
Following the killing of the two men, Kokeh continued, Julu then ordered his bodyguard to execute scores of others right in the fore view of the General.
Kokeh: "At about 5 to 6 pm some executions went on, on the ground of the PPF. Some of our local sons of Nimba including one Sirleaf who was serving as an industrial superintendent at LAMCO Yekepa, was one of those executed that evening. A personal friend of mine, Eugene Sayetegen was executed. A nephew of mine who was also killed was a former Immigration Commissioner of Liberia. One John Karmai, a teacher and sports director of the Central High under my supervision in 1976-78 was executed. One Livingstone, I only knew his Livingstone name who was an ex-police officer and four other who I don't know were executed and their bodies were with them. Akafan Dokie who was City Mayor here was also brought and executed at the firing range. His brother Lewis Dokie, a megastar of this city was also brought and executed and the city mayor of Ganta, John Flomo was executed at the same firing range."
He said following the mass executions residents of Yekepa flooded the PPF headquarters in LAMCO Yekepa to catch a glimpse of the displayed bodies.
"We later visited the scene to view the bodies and they were buried in our presence in a mass grave in Area Z, opposite the old mine road. From the center where some of these mass executions went on, on the old mine road still exist. It was the old firing range for practicing for PPF securities that were learning about firing arms," he explained.
Kokeh said he believed the Government of President Samuel Kanyon Doe sanctioned the executions because following the executions, Julu ascended to the post of Commander of the Executive Mansion Guard Battalion of the AFL.
He said the children of the victims and the people of Nimba County are craving for explanations from General Julu about the killings. He noted that they are demanding apologies from Julu for the mass killings.
"General Charles Julu is still alive and he's aware of those executions and I believe the children and people of Nimba need some apologies from him for this mass killing. We feel that we are hurt for this kind of attitude of people who were in authority at that time, and from that time we have never heard of any sorry. No one has come out to apologize to the family of these people who lost their lives, those people who suffered they have never been addressed to be apologized for what they did," he said.
The TRC is an independent body set up to investigate the root causes of the Liberian crisis, document human rights violations, review the history of Liberia, and put all human rights abuses that occurred during the period from 1979 to 2003 on record. The TRC mandate is to also identify victims and perpetrators and make recommendations on amnesty, prosecution and reparation.
The ongoing rural public hearings are being held under the theme: "Confronting Our Difficult Past For A Better Future."
Meanwhile, Public Hearing in Bong County will open today in the provincial capital of Gbarnga.
