By Alfred Kollie
The rule of law must prevail and the rights of victims protected in dealing with electoral violence in Liberia, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has said.
INCHR’s Acting Chairman Bartholomew B. Colley told a news conference in Monrovia the reports on recent campaign violence incidents should be prosecuted, where possible to avoid future problems.
‘’It is also my hope that the rule of law will be fully respected and observed by everyone throughout the process and there should be no sacred cows,” Colley said.
The rights Commission, he said was reinforcing its commitment to vigorously ensure that all 2.1 million registered Liberian voters exercise their franchise are in a free, fair, transparent in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, the INCHR has deployed its 140-member observation teams across the country to effectively monitor the conduct of Tuesday’s presidential and legislative elections with support from the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
The observation teams are expected to monitor issues that undermine the human rights of voter during the polls.
’The teams will be looking out for accessibility of voting centers, treatment of special group of persons (i.e. baby mothers, pregnant women, elderly persons, security personnel, etc.), opening time, closing time and various ICCP and related issues among others, as the process unfolds,’’ Liberia’s independent human rights commission official disclosed.
The report on the monitoring is expected to be released following the close of the voting process, Colley said.
“ This is a crucial moment that we all had been preparing for; to let Liberia win, but not to satisfy our individuals and collective myopic vested interests satisfied,’’ the Liberian human rights executive emphasized.