FLASHBACK: :marauding bands of rebels during the Liberian civil war
By Our Staff Writer
American officials have stepped up their interest in seeing a war and economic crimes court established in Liberia, with a holding of a Congressional hearing set for Monday, June 21, 2021 in the United States capital, Washington, an announcement published on the website of the US Congress Human Rights Commission says.
The hearing will be conducted by Congressman Tom Lantos of the Human Rights Commission will focus on numerous calls by Liberians at home and abroad for the establishment of a war and economic crimes to bring to justice perpetrators of over 14 years of civil war in Liberia that caused the lives of some 250,000 people.
“For the past few decades, Liberia’s people have suffered untold human rights violations while perpetrators acted with near-complete impunity during the country’s multiple civil wars. Between 1989 and 2003, 250,000 Liberians died from the fighting, and thousands more were conscripted as child soldiers, raped, suffered loss of limb, and other traumatic experiences. Since that time, not a single war crimes trial has occurred in Liberia as part of the country’s judicial process,” the US Congress announcement says.
“The hearing will examine the legacy of Liberia’s civil wars on its people and economy, the structure and likely policy implications of a proposed War Crimes & Economic Crimes Court for Liberia, and grassroots efforts to secure rule of law in the country and meet victims’ needs.”
The former head of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Cllr. Jerome Verdier and the former Prosecutor of the UN backed Sierra Leone War Crimes Court, Alan W. White are listed to be among the panelists during next Monday’s US Congressional hearing.
Since the TRC issued its final report was released in 2010, no move has been made by Liberian governments (both past and present) to implement the TRC’s recommendation calling for prosecution of those who bear the greatest responsibilities for the mayhem and destruction caused by the fratricidal armed conflict.
Since taking office on January 22, 2018, current President George Manneh Weah has repeatedly said that his government’s priority is reconciliation and development and not war crimes court, questioning why the pressure was not on his predecessor, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to set up the court during her 12 years reign.
But former President Sirleaf, who was listed in the TRC report to be banned from Liberian politics for 30 years, was not expected by political analysts to be eager to set up such war crimes court because she was one of those who contributed to the war efforts back in 1989.
Under international and domestic pressure, President Weah some time ago sent a document to the Liberian Legislature asking them to advice him on the issue of war and economic crimes court, but the Legislators themselves have so far been reluctant to endorse the court.
The Liberian Legislature is itself composed of some former warlords and key actors in the now ended civil war, including Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson, who led the disbanded Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) which captured and murdered former President Samuel Kanyon Doe in 1990 along with the murder of thousands of others.
Link to announcement on US Congress website:
https://humanrightscommission.house.gov/events/hearings/establishing-war-crimes-economic-crimes-court-liberia?fbclid=IwAR1xs5XlWVRGYFG6gz1x7oKxyS5b_H2nRhFG23e5T2fg8JcUt9poDaF4T0U