Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Kweku Baako, has lashed out at Former Head of State, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings for peddling falsehood in an interview granted him on Asaase Radio.
According to Mr. Rawlings, under his regime civilians arrested and put behind bars by the military were not tortured.
“Nobody did any such thing and professional soldiers don’t do things like that actually,” he said.
He added that Kweku Baako at the time of The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) tried several times to influence Ben Ephson to spew falsehood about his regime but Ben did not want to be part of it.
The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) was set up by the erstwhile Kufuor administration to reconcile the nation over some of the ill actions meted out to citizens by military regimes.
Rawlings; A Big Liar
Reacting to comments by Rawlings, the seasoned journalist said Former President Rawlings lied about him (Baako) being tortured.
According to Mr. Baako, he was tortured by military men while under military detention while Rawlings supervised as Head of State.
He gave vivid explanation of how he was tortured by a group of military officers.
“They placed a chair there and told me to remove my shirt. After removing my shirt, they used the belts to whip me countless times. That was how they welcomed me. Afterwards, they sent me to their guard room…The next day, for the next 10/11 days, what they did to me at field engineers; God is my witness. At their parade square, they made me sing some military songs and compelled me to walk on my knees in the gravels. Before you could reach the end, you would be sick but when I collapse in the midway (third way), they will tell me to come back and start again. So, my knees were all bloodshot because the gravels had pierced them, then they would use their guns to repeatedly strike my waist…That’s why I said it had incapacitated me for life and people thought I was impotent…25 days at field engineers was a hell; total hell!”
”…I couldn’t walk…I don’t know how to be decent about this but I used to defecate on myself, urinate on myself for days…”
”I don’t know how to be decent about this but I used to defecate on myself, urinate on myself for days…After torturing me, they would drag me on the floor because I was physically weak and could hardly move, and washed me with water to aggravate my pains”, he added.
Kweku Baako, who was almost teary while recounting his ordeal, asked Mr. Rawlings to go back and check his historical records before he tries to peddle falsehood about him.
”I was a victim of torture. I was tortured and I was tortured by soldiers. Mr. Rawlings, are you listening. Go check, you sent me there and I was at signals [guard room]”, he exclaimed.
