Rights centre wants Taylor's son tried

The National Human Rights Centre of Liberia on Friday appealed to the Liberian government to arrest, disrobe and prosecute the Commander of the country's Anti-Terrorist Unit, Charles Taylor Jnr, in relation to the alleged murder of his chief driver, Isaac Saye Gono. A similar appeal was made earlier by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Liberia. Gono reportedly died on 18 September as result of a flogging "ordered" by Taylor Jnr, also known as Chucky. The National Human Rights Centre said the government's delay or failure to arrest and prosecute "all suspects, including Chucky" in keeping with the law would demonstrate its lack of commitment to defending the weak against the strong in society. This, it said, would be inconsistent with the mandate of democratic government and the principles of good governance. The situation involving Taylor Jnr was similar to the incident which resulted in the arrest and subsequent prosecution of former Deputy Labour Minister, Bedell Fahn, according to the Centre. It dismissed a recent Ministry of Defence statement exonerating the president's son, terming it a "premature calculation intended to avoid Mr Taylor Jnr submitting to the due process of law." The innocence of the ATU commander must be proven in a court of competent jurisdiction," it added. The Centre praised Gono's family for speaking out fearlessly on the cruelty to which their relative was subjected, and described its stance as a defence of their late relative's rights.