Two days are over now, in this trial. It’s a tighter schedule this time. The short breaks and the fact that Josh and Tjostolv have to stand the whole time are possibly done on purpose to exhaust them, and make them less concentrated in the heat. On the other hand it’s good to see some efficiency. Furuholmen and the English vice council Ms. Parul arrived yesterday. I just want to make some comments.
- Mike is not a cover name for Tjostolv. Many of his Norwegian friends call him that as well.
- We informed the two local lawyers a long time ago that many who have been in the army keep their ID cards. We scanned and sent them an article that Aftenposten wrote last year that the defense council wanted to tighten this practice. This was long after the boys’ arrest. It’s correct that the embassy has written a note in august that ID cards and other things belonging to the defense council have to be returned and that the rules are clear. This is not exactly correct. In the same note it says very clear with dates etc that the boys quit the army in 2007. This is not mentioned by the judge. As far as I know there is another letter regarding the ID cards that should’ve been presented in court. That the ID cards are proof that the boys are spies and soldiers according to Congolese law is one thing, but I don’t understand how it proves that they are “businessmen” as well.
- It’s also a long time ago that we informed the two local lawyers what missionary Bregård was told by both Kasongo’s brother and the investigators that the driver had been shot from the left. Rune Edvardsen taped some of the conversation on audio.
- It would also be interesting to know what happened to the two named people who are mentioned in the “UN-report” as leaders of the attack on the boys. Look under the headline The Case, and then under “Saken”.
- The prosecutor and the military tribunal have had months to translate the text messages from Tjostolvs phone from Norwegian and English to French. Instead they use a Norwegian photographer for it. This is not very competent. And how can they be sure that the photographer translates correctly?
- The witnesses who became informants didn’t swear in at the first two trials. Neither did they this time.
- Joshua hasn’t, and I think the same applies for Tjostolv, never been in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Kari Hilde French May 26th 2010
