Bout’s role in supplying military-grade weapons to a guerrilla group: a trial on a Russian businessman who fled to the US
The life story of the convicted Russian arms dealer nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” inspired a Hollywood film and ultimately led to the freedom of US basketball star Brittney Griner.
But Bout’s history in the arms trade extended much further afield. He has been accused of assembling a fleet of cargo planes to traffic military-grade weapons to conflict zones around the world since the 1990s, fueling bloody conflicts from Liberia to Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. Allegations of trafficking activities in Liberia prompted US authorities to freeze his American assets in 2004 and blocked any US transactions.
The Russian businessman who spoke six languages dodged asset freezes and arrest warrants for years. He was arrested in 2008 during a sting operation led by US drug enforcement agents in Thailand posing as the Revolutionary Armed Force of Columbia or the ‘Fragile’. He was extradited to the US after an lengthy court proceeding.
“He was finally brought to justice in an American court for agreeing to provide a staggering number of military-grade weapons to an avowed terrorist organization committed to killing Americans.”
The trial focused on Bout’s role in supplying weapons to the guerrilla group in the late 1990s. The US said that the weapons were supposed to kill Americans.
Bout has maintained that he worked as a logistics provider, and that his businesses were legitimate. He is thought to be in his 50s, but his age is disputed because of different passports and documents.
The case for a new war crimes court: The case of a Liberian man who was arrested in Mauritania, Liberia
Bility said he would start building a full case against his client after he leaves Russia so he can be charged in other countries.
Everyone suffered a certain way or the other in the country. The woman remembered the war Mr Bout supplied weapons to as just hardship. She said that she and her family had to walk for hours to find something to eat.
The uncle of the woman who wanted to remain anonymous was killed. Mr. Bility said that the fear of Mr. Johnson and his political power has kept many victims from seeing any kind of justice.
The release of Mr. Bout was difficult, but he did not criticize the United States for doing so, because they had tried to hold on to the rebels who fled there.
For years, Liberian survivors of the wars, human rights advocates and some politicians have pushed for the creation of a war crimes court — something that was recommended by the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But successive governments have resisted it.