NDC Constituency Chairman arrested for rape

The Twifo Atti-Morkwaa Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Kojo Ataborah, who thought he could help himself to a 19-year-old member of the party (name withheld) at Praso in the Central Region and got scot free, has found himself in the grips of law. Daily Guide gathered that Ataborah, who was arrested by the Central Regional Police Command, has since been granted bail and is bragging in Praso that since his government is in power, nobody can touch him. Briefing Daily Guide at Praso, a source revealed that on December 13, 2009, one Achaia went to the victim’s house to inform her that the Chairman wanted to meet with her at his hotel the following morning to discuss her sponsorship package the Member of Parliament (MP) in the area, Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh, had promised her. The source continued that the victim, who was concerned about her education, left her home at Nyinase very early for chairman’s guest house, Adom Guest House, at Praso. The source said the victim, who was initially made to sit in the living room for the discussion, was later invited by the chairman to one of the guest rooms to have a look at something. Daily Guide learnt that Ataborah then forcibly had sexual intercourse with her in the room before asking the teenager to leave. According to the source, three days after the incident the girl began to itch in her private parts, a situation which compelled her mother to ask for the cause. She then broke down and revealed the unpleasant incident to her mother. One Raphael, who was also at the victim’s house at the time, reported the crime at the Twifo Praso Police Station, after which Ataborah was arrested and detained for almost five hours. The accused was later transported to the Central Regional Police Command where he was granted bail. Sources revealed that some ‘big fish’ are behind the issue and do not want it to go public. Daily Guide can state that although Ataborah has four wives, he admitted to having sexual intercourse with the young lady during interrogation. However, he was quick to add that the teenager was his girlfriend. A medical form has been issued to the victim to go for medical treatment. She is expected to return the form to the police. Source: Daily Guide/Ghana

Guinean Women raped by the army

ECOWAS, AU and UN must prosecute Guinea Junta leaders

...A woman being stripped naked by a member of the Guinean army

West African leaders must take swift action against the junta leaders in Guinea for the massacre of innocent civilians and the raping of women by the Guinean army. There are horrific account of women being raped, stripped naked and shot dead by the ruthless Guinean army as indicated by the picture above where a woman has been stripped naked by a soldier. There are eyewitness account that claim soldiers inserted guns into the private parts of women and then shot them dead.

How long must such unprovoked attacks and unwarranted human rights violations continue in Africa? Are African leaders going to stand aloof while unarmed civilians are being murdered? Is ECOWAS and the AU going to keep quite again while another power hungry soldier slowly becomes a dictator as we have seen in Gambia, Central Africa Republic, Burkina Fasso, Niger, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mauritania?

Is it not time for the rest of the world to demand that the days of impunity and human rights violations cannot continue any longer? West African leaders must send a strong message to the junta leaders that such violation of people's right cannot go unpunished. They must send a team of investigators into Guinea immediately to investigate and bring those who committed the atrocities to justice.

Therefore the leadership in West Africa must demand that the perpetrators of the carnage be brought to book immediately. The junta leaders must be forced to relinquish power and not seek for election. They must organize free and fair election and then return to the barracks. If they fail to do it then they must all be referred to the International Criminal Court for action to be taken against these them. What happened in Mauritania a couple of months ago must not be allowed in Guinea. I call on ECOWAS and its military wing the ECOMOG to act now and send a strong message to the Moussa Camara and his team of barbarians that they are not safe anywhere. I call on Kofi Annan and the eminent leaders in Africa to step in and speak for the victims. For now they can do as they pleased but the long arm of international justice will get them one day.

by Lord A. Adusei