PHOTO: Cllr. Dempster Brown, INCHR Chairman
By Our Staff Writer
The Independent National Human Rights Commission (INCHR) in Liberia has confirmed reports of an increase in the wave of mysterious deaths and disappearances in the country.
INCHR Chairman, Cllr. Dempster Brown said in a special statement in Monrovia on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, that his Commission is very concerned about mysterious deaths and disappearances of peaceful citizens, including brutality of our peaceful citizens by State security forces.
But he called for more resources to be provided to the Police, in order to strengthen their capacity to combat the wave of criminal activities in the country.
The wave of mysterious deaths and disappearances has hit the headlines of the local media frequently in the past weeks and months across Liberia, sparking fear among citizens and foreign residents many of whom have become overly cautious about their movement, especially at night.
Last year in the wake of the mysterious deaths of four public auditors, President George Manneh Weah told citizens that they will have to take more responsibility for their personal security, urging them to even procure their own CCTV.
According to Chairman Brown, no finding has so far been revealed from investigations conducted into these incidents by state security.
He therefore disclosed the Commission’s preparedness to engage its international partners for funding aimed at strengthening the investigative capacity of our monitors through training to enable them to conduct transparent investigation, where there is an occurrence of Human Rights violation which has criminal nature.
The INCHR has also expressed concerns about gender based violence, rape and sexual harassment which have permeated the society, including workplaces and schools.
Chairman Brown, who is a long time human rights Lawyer, has pledged the Board of Commissioners’ commitment in upholding the rights of all citizens and residents, especially the rights of women and children including the disabled in Liberia.
He also vowed to curtail discrimination against people living with disability, adding, “the discrimination of the disabled will be prevented because the disabled has the right to life which include job opportunities.”
Cllr. Brown and other members of the Board of Commissioners were formally seated in Monrovia recently.