232:"Mercenarism, instrument of the aggressive designs of imperialism … a scourge of the African continent and a grave threat to the peace, freedom and independence of the people. It is imperative that the practice of mercenarism be banished once and for all from our planet. It is urgent that all states and peace-loving forces fight it most energetically. We are applying justice in Angola not only in the name of our martyred people but also for the good of the brother peoples of Namibia, Zimbabwe and all the peoples of the world against whom imperialism is already getting ready to prepare new mercenary aggressions."
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Some of the verdicts had been expected, especially regarding Callan; one of his fellow mercenaries described him as "a homicidal maniac, who spent a lot of time killing blacks just for fun". However, Gearhart had arrived in Angola only days before his capture; defense lawyers provided evidence he had
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were a foregone conclusion; before the trial had even begun, Luis de
Almeida, the Director of Information and Security, stated that the defendants were guilty and that the only thing that needed to be determined was how much punishment to mete out. The following sentences were passed on 28 June 1976:
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The trial lasted from 11 to 16 June. There were five judges. The presiding judge was
Ernesto Teixeira da Silva, the Attorney General of Angola. The other judges were the Director of Angolan Television, two military officers and a member of the National Council of Women in Angola. Guilty verdicts
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The four condemned men were executed by MPLA military police on 10 July 1976. According to
British former mercenaries Chris Dempster and Dave Tomkins, only McKenzie was killed outright. Callan and Gearhart were killed by
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Thirteen mercenaries fighting for the FNLA – nine
British, three American and one Irish – were captured by MPLA forces by mid-February 1976. On 26 May they were
205:, had been shot in the leg and taken prisoner in his very first taste of combat within five days after arriving in the country. British Prime Minister
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241:, while Barker, who was unscathed but had apparently fainted, was shot after waking up while his 'body' was being removed on a stretcher.
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by the People's
Revolutionary Court in Luanda. The men were charged with acting as mercenaries, war crimes, and crimes against peace.
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The two remaining
Americans, Grillo and Acker, were released in November 1982 in a prisoner exchange worked out by the
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on 11 November 1975, but the new country was immediately immersed in a three-sided civil war. The
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The MPLA Government invited a group of foreign observers to attend the trial. These included
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444:"ExecutedToday.com » 1976: Costas Georgiou and three other mercenaries in Angola"
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1976 trial and execution of
Western mercenaries in Luanda during the Angolan Civil War
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never fired a shot, and probably had not even participated in combat. Acker, an ex-
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308:"The Laws of War and the Angolan Trial of Mercenaries: Death to the Dogs of War"
253:. The British prisoners were released in February 1984 after negotiation by the
392:"For Soldier of Fortune Gary Acker, a Luckless Road Runs Out in Faraway Angola"
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to show mercy to the men. However, Neto refused to intervene.
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were sentenced to either long prison terms or execution by
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508:"Angola. British mercenaries released after 8 years"
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313:Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law
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361:Bulletin (Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers)
559:, Vol. 17, No. 2 (June 1979), pp. 342–344
175:Cecil Martin "Satch" Fortuin (South Africa/UK)
581:Interview with Dave Tomkins, former guerrilla
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72:Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
135:(aka "Colonel Tony Callan"), 24 (Cyprus/UK)
390:Donner, Al; Walters, Dan (June 28, 1976).
161:Gustavo Marcelo Grillo, 27 (Argentina/US)
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66:Angola had gained its independence from
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528:Burchett, Wilfred and Roebuck, Derek.
335:"1976: Death sentence for mercenaries"
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556:The Journal of Modern African Studies
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530:The Whores of War: Mercenaries Today
88:National Liberation Front of Angola
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86:and some of its allies backed the
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551:In Search of Enemies: A CIA story
545:In Search of Enemies: A CIA story
489:"3 Held by Angola Return to U.S."
251:United States Department of State
224:requested that Angolan President
572:BBC article on the Luanda Trial
549:Cohen Jr., Sylvester, Review of
267:Mercenaries in Angolan Civil War
144:Daniel Francis Gearhart, 34 (US)
629:Angola–United Kingdom relations
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138:Andrew Gordon McKenzie, 25 (UK)
112:, later a UK High Court judge.
634:Angola–United States relations
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412:"ANGOLA: Death for 'War Dogs'"
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467:. London: St Martin's Press.
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152:Michael Douglas Wiseman (UK)
74:(MPLA) was supported by the
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586:Angola: Death for War Dogs
141:John Derek Barker, 34 (UK)
46:, in June 1976 during the
359:"haldane society NOTES".
592:magazine, July 12, 1976
463:Dempster, Chris (1980).
306:Hoover, Mike J. (1977).
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179:16 years' imprisonment:
165:24 years' imprisonment:
158:James George Butler (UK)
155:Kevin John Marchant (UK)
148:30 years' imprisonment:
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594:(subscription required)
537:Soldiers of misfortune
255:British Foreign Office
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18:Andrew Gordon McKenzie
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196:Malcolm McIntyre (UK)
577:On this day 11 June.
496:. November 18, 1982.
50:. Thirteen Western
493:The New York Times
219:Secretary of State
639:War crimes trials
619:Angolan Civil War
543:Stockwell, John.
191:Gary Martin Acker
48:Angolan Civil War
16:(Redirected from
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624:Trials in Angola
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363:(9): 1–3. 1978.
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126:firing squad
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82:, while the
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56:firing squad
32:Luanda Trial
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614:Mercenaries
215:Gerald Ford
106:Jack Dromey
52:mercenaries
603:Categories
465:Fire Power
449:2023-08-31
429:2023-08-30
344:January 6,
62:Background
424:0040-781X
369:2517-7281
278:Citations
245:Aftermath
193:, 21 (US)
124:Death by
94:(UNITA).
514:Archive.
377:44749726
339:BBC News
261:See also
209:, Queen
99:indicted
68:Portugal
38:held in
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397:People
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217:, and
203:Marine
44:Angola
40:Luanda
34:was a
373:JSTOR
273:Notes
116:Trial
36:trial
590:Time
469:ISBN
420:ISSN
416:Time
365:ISSN
346:2008
320:(2).
80:Cuba
78:and
30:The
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