Trial monitoring: Thomas Woewiyu

Alieu Woewiyu’s trial monitoring

Since 1972, Woewiyu lived in the United States where he had legal permanent residency, occasionally returning to Liberia.
On January 23, 2006 he made an application for United States citizenship by submitting an Immigration and Naturalization Service (“INS”) Form.
Woewiyu was accused of having lied on this form in order to obtain citizenship, by failing to disclose his association with the NPFL and failing to disclose his connection to crimes committed by the NPFL.

On January 30, 2014, Thomas Jucontee Woewiyu was placed under investigation in the U.S. for seven counts of crimes of perjury and two counts of fraud related to his immigration papers. On May 12 of the same year he was arrested in Newark Airport, upon returning from Liberia. In October, he was bailed and granted temporary release before his trial under the condition that he stayed under house arrest.
Woewiyu faced trial on June 11, 2018.

First Instance Proceedings

According to the indictment, Thomas Woewiyu served as the spokesperson of the NPFL (National Patriotic Front of Liberia) and worked to justify its mission and objectives to high-ranking foreign officials. Led by Charles Taylor, the NPFL is responsible for a myriad international crimes, including sexual slavery, mass murders and conscription of child soldiers.
Over 60,000 human rights violations committed by the NPFL were formally recorded by the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Over 35 witnesses testified to his direct and indirect involvement with war crimes during the civil war.
After 13 days in court, the jury found Woewiyu guilty on 11 of 16 counts on July 3, 2018. On April 12, 2020, Woewiyu died while still awaiting sentencing.

Civitas Maxima monitored the trial in cooperation with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Trial monitoring available soon