Closing Statement

Closing Statement
Everything that has been discussed in this court today are some of the worst things
imaginable. Children should never have to witness the horrors of war. In Shansau, children were
not only involved in the war between the Lago and Kani, but they were used as active soldiers.
This shouldn’t have ever happened.
We understand the need to make someone pay for the crimes committed during this
war, but Arthur Mabo is not guilty for everything that happened. Blaming an innocent person is
just as bad, if not worse, than not being unable to prosecute a guilty person. A person should
not be convicted for crimes that they personally did not commit.
Arthur Mabo had every intention of doing the right thing as the Commander of the PFLS.
Mabo himself was involved in the military as a child. At merely 16, he was awarded a position in
the youth military training academy and completed the program at 18. After he graduated, he
learns that his father has been killed and that he has to return home.
I’m sure that everyone here today can imagine Mabo’s situation. At 18 yrs old, after just
becoming a soldier, he learns that his father has been brutally murdered. He comes back home
to help his widowed mother. At age 25, he has to flee his village, or otherwise be killed by Kani
soldiers. The Kani people robbed Mabo and his family of their life in Shansau. Anyone would be
angry in Mabo’s position. Anyone would want revenge. Mabo was given the position of
commander-in-chief of the PLFS because of his military training, and his desire to lead troops
back to Shansau to reclaim their land. A desire, that is entirely justified.
Before you condemn Arthur Mabo, let me remind you that:
Arthur Mabo was the commander of the PLFS during the war In Shansau and because
of this responsibility he usually left his second in command, Charles Yitu in charge.
When someone picks their second in command to take charge of some of their duties,
that means that they really trust them. Charles Yitu could have disobeyed Arthur Mabo and
there is no way Mabo could have known that. If Yitu did disobey Mabo, that means that Mabo
had to have explicitly told him to not do what Yitu did, therefore, Mabo should not be held
responsible for those actions. According to command responsibility, the commander has to be
aware of what his subordinates are doing in order to be responsible for their actions. Because
Yitu went behind his back, Mabo could not have known about the crimes being committed. .
Yes, Mabo probably should have known what was going on with his subordinates. After
all, that is what a good commander-in-chief does. Since Mabo didn't do that makes him a bad
commander. But remember that this ignorance only m akes Mabo a bad commander. It does not
make him guilty of the crimes he is being charged with.
Thomas Gabo, is someone who is thankful for the PLFS and Mabo is particular for
helping the Lago people regain their dignity and fight for their rights. He testified that PLFS
didn’t do anything differently from the Shansau army, and he saw firsthand that parents and
children relied on the PFLS for protection.
Let me remind you that Gabo’s testimony was firsthand evidence that he saw with his
own eyes. It wasn’t hearsay, fanciful thinking, or veiled emotionally manipulative statements
targeted to gain your sympathy like what we heard from the prosecution today. Gabo provided
us with cold hard proof of what the PFLS stood for.
Anna Kabolo only met Mabo one time during her entire time with the PLFS. That one
time Mabo came back to camp and Anna was elected to be the servant that gave Mabo food
since she was the camp leader’s favorite. There was no way that Mabo would have seen Anna
as anything other than a servant, let alone a soldier in his army. Anna told us how Mabo pointed
a gun at her when she dropped his glass of water in front of him. Although this is true, do not
forget that Mabo has been in the military, nearly his entire life. He has grown used to sudden
attacks and life and death situations where he uses his gun for protection. When Anna dropped
the glass, it would’ve made a loud noise that startled Mabo and caused him to point his gun at
her. Pointing a gun at Anna was just a reflex due to the stress, fear, and paranoia that war
creates in people. After Mabo was able to process the fact that he was in no real danger, he put
the gun down and dismissed Anna. Anna was never hurt by Mabo.
Thomas Bateman was a peacekeeper who never met or saw Arthur Mabo. He saw
soldiers in the PLFS camps that he visited but there is no way that he can prove that every child
he saw was directly under Mabo’s control. Bateman is a foreigner in a war-zone. In war there is
fear of the unknown. Fear that anyone you don’t know is an enemy. No one is willing to risk the
chance of losing their lives.The children who attacked Bateman, would have perceived him as a
threat. They were trying to defend themselves and their homes.
Alia Rutu is a grieving mother who lost her oldest child and is looking for someone to
blame. Rutu’s entire testimony is hearsay. There is no proof that she can offer for anything.
Everything that she said, she heard from someone else, who in some instances heard it from
someone else, and so on. Everyone knows how details are twisted in situations like this. Rutu’s
believes Emanuel is dead because that is what her son Ishmael told her. Ishmael believes
Emanuel is dead, because that is what another soldier told him. What if this soldier is wrong?
What if Emanuel isn’t even dead? At the end of the day there is no proof. There is no body.
There is just a grieving mother who cannot find her child.
At the end of the day: Arthur Mabo is not responsible for any of the charges being held
against him. Do not fall for the intricate web of lies that the prosecution has spun for you today.
Do the right thing. Don’t punish a man for crimes he didn’t commit.
Alia Rutu Questioning:
1) Are you Kani or Lago?

2) Do you support the Troua Government?
3) Do you support what the Troua Government is doing by persecuting the Lago
minority?
4) So right now, what you’re telling me is that you support a government who
commits violent acts against the Lago minority, but you do not support the violent
acts they do. Is that right?
5) Can you explain how that is possible?
6) Do you consider yourself as a threat to the PFLS?
7) Why not?
8) Is there anyway for the PFLS to have known that you do not support the violent
acts that Troua’s army was committing against the Lago?
9) So do you now understand how the PLFS will have seen you as a threat? After
all you are a Kani who supports the government and that is exactly what the
PFLS is fighting against.
10) Did you ever see Mabo during the attack on your village?
11) Can you prove he was the behind the attack on your village?
12) What happened to Emanuel during the attack?
13) Was that how Emanuel joined the PFLS?
14) Was your other son Ishmael also abducted by the PFLS?
15) Then how did he join them?
16) Why did he join them willingly?
17) Why do you believe Emanuel is dead?
18) Why does Ishmael believe Emanuel is dead?
19) So basically, you think Emanuel is dead because that is what Ishmael told you.
And Ishmael believes this because that is what an older soldier told him. Is this
right?
20) Was Emanuels body ever found?
21) Is there any other proof that he’s even dead?
22) Is it possible that the soldier who told Ishmael that Emanuel is dead, is wrong?
23) Is it possible that Emanuel is alive?
24) Is it possible that he also could’ve escaped from the camp like Ishmael did?
25) Is it possible that you might see Emanuel again?
26) Are certain that Emanuel is dead?
27) Then why are you testifying against Mabo?

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What was Arthur Mabo's background and experience in the military?

What evidence was presented that countered Anna Kabolo's testimony against Arthur Mabo?

Closing Statement

Before you condemn Arthur Mabo, let me remind you that:

1) Are you Kani or Lago?

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