Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Interview With Hassan Bility
Aired July 08, 2003 - 15:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, among the institutions ravaged during Charles Taylor's chaotic tenure is the media. Hassan Bility is a Liberian journalist whose newspaper was repeatedly shut down and who himself was repeated arrested by government forces. He came to the states in January after six months of torture in a Liberian prison. He joins now live from Boston. Hassan, it's a pleasure to have you.
HASSAN BILITY, LIBERIAN JOURNALIST: Thank you, it's my pleasure.
PHILLIPS: I was reading that you were arrested seven times for your reporting in Liberian. Why? Were you talking about Charles Taylor? Were you talking about the realities that take place in Liberia?
BILITY: Yes, basically I was writing about -- i was writing and speaking about the reality of what was happening in Liberia, actually, and Taylor didn't want to hear that.
We realized that Taylor was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to power on the tidal wave of the people's desire for peace, simply peace, and who didn't vote him into office because they liked him, but because they wanted peace. They thought that he (UNINTELLIGIBLE) vote him into office. At least that's what he told them.
But because he failed to deliver his promise to deliver on his promises, we kept writing on those (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he thought we were exposing him both to the Liberian people and to the international community.
In addition to that, his involvement in the war in Sierra Leone was one of the key issues why he thought I should be arrested on several occasions. I wrote a number of articles and editorials about the government's involvement and Sierra Leone his alleged plans to make (ph) Liberia with a breeding ground for terrorists. You know, mainly from the al Qaeda connection.
So all of these things, you know, mounted into a big sort of ball that made President Charles Taylor to think that I was an enemy, you know. And that's why the media at the moment is literally been killed in Liberia under the Charles Taylor administration.
I just want to say this to the international community that I sincerely believe that the efforts now going on in west Africa will remain very much fruitless as long as the efforts are now backed by a credible threat of force. Charles Taylor definitely is not winning the goal. He is not winning the goal. He's just buying time. PHILLIPS: So you think he's not going to go.
Do you think he supports terrorism, Hassan? Is there a connection to Charles Taylor and al Qaeda or other terrorist networks?
BILITY: He definitely supports terrorists, terrorist activities. He encourages the presence of al Qaeda members in Liberia. For example, Mohammed Abid (ph), that's someone I presently met with and spoke with. Another person called Sam Walsam (ph) from the Middle East, as well. These are guys who have got direct connection with al Qaeda and one Ibrahim Baldi. Ibramhim Baldi is some guy whose name is also (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Now, this is a fact. The reason Taylor turned to them is that he felt that the international community had, you know, ostracized him. So he thought it would be better if he established some form of friendship with them in exchange for him being able to get arms in large amounts.
So basically I don't think he's going to go. He's buying time. We are very much saddened by the fact that Ghana refused to honor the indictment to have President Charles Taylor who is an indicted war criminal arrested. And we are also very much cautious about Nigeria's ruler (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because we know that in the past Charles Taylor told many peace (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
And his plan right now is to stall this process, make it look like he's willing to go and he's not willing to go (UNINTELLIGIBLE). he's not willing to go. And get President Bush and other international leaders discouraged and pull out of Liberia so he can begin to wreck terror on the Liberian people. And that definitely would be one of the worst miscarriages of justice against the Liberian people.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: I know we're limited on time and I hear everything that you're saying and it's pretty amazing what you have to say because we haven't heard from an actual journalist there in Liberia and the stories that you have.
I've got to ask you, though, when you were writing these stories and you were uncovering these things you say about Charles Taylor, he actually at one point interrogated you himself, right? He brought you in. Tell me what he said to you and what he did with you.
BILITY: He personally interrogated me. First he asked me -- he said personally that I have allegedly bought on from Europe and taken the arms the to Monrovia sold the arms to the U.S. embassy in Monrovia. He also said I had 24 men waiting at the U.S. embassy in Monrovia to assassinate him.
He also wanted me to incriminate the archbishop of the Catholic Church in Monrovia, Bishop Michael Kay Francis, into a nonexistent coup. And I thought that was wrong and I told him directly in his face that Mr. President, I believe you arrested me because of my writing.
So among the things he said as well was that was that he said that the Liberian people will have him as president of the year 2024 even though we haven't gone half of that time now.
But the key issue I'm trying to stress is that it is very important to hear from Liberian journalists, people who live and work on the ground because they have unearthed a lot of things. Taylor, I can tell you directly, has direct involvement with the al Qaeda (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
So the Americans should understand (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going to Liberia is not only beneficial to the Liberian people, but also to the American people because if they do allow terrorism to breed in a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) country like Liberia, that's going to come back to the American people because the terrorists, especially the al Qaedas have got America as their primary target.
So it is important for two reasons. One, because of the historic relation between Liberia and the United States. And two because of the United states own national security interests. It is very important that American people should not overlook this.
PHILLIPS: Hassan Bility, we appreciate your story, we appreciate your thoughts. It will be interesting to see what does happen there in Liberia. We hope you come back -- I know you'll be paying close attention to the coverage.
BILITY: Thank you very much. I certainly will.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 8, 2003 - 15:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, among the institutions ravaged during Charles Taylor's chaotic tenure is the media. Hassan Bility is a Liberian journalist whose newspaper was repeatedly shut down and who himself was repeated arrested by government forces. He came to the states in January after six months of torture in a Liberian prison. He joins now live from Boston. Hassan, it's a pleasure to have you.
HASSAN BILITY, LIBERIAN JOURNALIST: Thank you, it's my pleasure.
PHILLIPS: I was reading that you were arrested seven times for your reporting in Liberian. Why? Were you talking about Charles Taylor? Were you talking about the realities that take place in Liberia?
BILITY: Yes, basically I was writing about -- i was writing and speaking about the reality of what was happening in Liberia, actually, and Taylor didn't want to hear that.
We realized that Taylor was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to power on the tidal wave of the people's desire for peace, simply peace, and who didn't vote him into office because they liked him, but because they wanted peace. They thought that he (UNINTELLIGIBLE) vote him into office. At least that's what he told them.
But because he failed to deliver his promise to deliver on his promises, we kept writing on those (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he thought we were exposing him both to the Liberian people and to the international community.
In addition to that, his involvement in the war in Sierra Leone was one of the key issues why he thought I should be arrested on several occasions. I wrote a number of articles and editorials about the government's involvement and Sierra Leone his alleged plans to make (ph) Liberia with a breeding ground for terrorists. You know, mainly from the al Qaeda connection.
So all of these things, you know, mounted into a big sort of ball that made President Charles Taylor to think that I was an enemy, you know. And that's why the media at the moment is literally been killed in Liberia under the Charles Taylor administration.
I just want to say this to the international community that I sincerely believe that the efforts now going on in west Africa will remain very much fruitless as long as the efforts are now backed by a credible threat of force. Charles Taylor definitely is not winning the goal. He is not winning the goal. He's just buying time. PHILLIPS: So you think he's not going to go.
Do you think he supports terrorism, Hassan? Is there a connection to Charles Taylor and al Qaeda or other terrorist networks?
BILITY: He definitely supports terrorists, terrorist activities. He encourages the presence of al Qaeda members in Liberia. For example, Mohammed Abid (ph), that's someone I presently met with and spoke with. Another person called Sam Walsam (ph) from the Middle East, as well. These are guys who have got direct connection with al Qaeda and one Ibrahim Baldi. Ibramhim Baldi is some guy whose name is also (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Now, this is a fact. The reason Taylor turned to them is that he felt that the international community had, you know, ostracized him. So he thought it would be better if he established some form of friendship with them in exchange for him being able to get arms in large amounts.
So basically I don't think he's going to go. He's buying time. We are very much saddened by the fact that Ghana refused to honor the indictment to have President Charles Taylor who is an indicted war criminal arrested. And we are also very much cautious about Nigeria's ruler (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because we know that in the past Charles Taylor told many peace (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
And his plan right now is to stall this process, make it look like he's willing to go and he's not willing to go (UNINTELLIGIBLE). he's not willing to go. And get President Bush and other international leaders discouraged and pull out of Liberia so he can begin to wreck terror on the Liberian people. And that definitely would be one of the worst miscarriages of justice against the Liberian people.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: I know we're limited on time and I hear everything that you're saying and it's pretty amazing what you have to say because we haven't heard from an actual journalist there in Liberia and the stories that you have.
I've got to ask you, though, when you were writing these stories and you were uncovering these things you say about Charles Taylor, he actually at one point interrogated you himself, right? He brought you in. Tell me what he said to you and what he did with you.
BILITY: He personally interrogated me. First he asked me -- he said personally that I have allegedly bought on from Europe and taken the arms the to Monrovia sold the arms to the U.S. embassy in Monrovia. He also said I had 24 men waiting at the U.S. embassy in Monrovia to assassinate him.
He also wanted me to incriminate the archbishop of the Catholic Church in Monrovia, Bishop Michael Kay Francis, into a nonexistent coup. And I thought that was wrong and I told him directly in his face that Mr. President, I believe you arrested me because of my writing.
So among the things he said as well was that was that he said that the Liberian people will have him as president of the year 2024 even though we haven't gone half of that time now.
But the key issue I'm trying to stress is that it is very important to hear from Liberian journalists, people who live and work on the ground because they have unearthed a lot of things. Taylor, I can tell you directly, has direct involvement with the al Qaeda (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
So the Americans should understand (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going to Liberia is not only beneficial to the Liberian people, but also to the American people because if they do allow terrorism to breed in a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) country like Liberia, that's going to come back to the American people because the terrorists, especially the al Qaedas have got America as their primary target.
So it is important for two reasons. One, because of the historic relation between Liberia and the United States. And two because of the United states own national security interests. It is very important that American people should not overlook this.
PHILLIPS: Hassan Bility, we appreciate your story, we appreciate your thoughts. It will be interesting to see what does happen there in Liberia. We hope you come back -- I know you'll be paying close attention to the coverage.
BILITY: Thank you very much. I certainly will.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
