PHOTO: Frank Sainworla, Jr., Managing Editor, www.newspublictrust.com
By Judoemue M. Kollie, DAILY OBSERVER newspaper, Monrovia
A Liberian journalist has described the Liberian government’s action toward the establishment of the war and economic crimes court in the country as a hypocritical and double standard game that the government continues to play.
The Liberian Senate recently came up with a proposal to establish a Transitional Justice Committee (TJC) to review the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) report. This is something that the Liberian public has termed as a calculated attempt to delay the establishment of a war crimes court.
Frank Sainworla, Jr., Managing Editor of the Public Trust Media Group (PTMG), who was speaking on a local radio station recently, said that the right thing the government needs to do is to request the UN to assist the country to establish the court so that those who committed heinous crimes during the civil war can face trial.
“The whole thing about war crimes and crimes against humanity is international jurisdiction. It is not the Supreme that will try war convicts, but it is something that will be done under international arrangement as done in other countries. Therefore, this government needs not to be concerned whether the Supreme Court has a specific role to play in the process,” he explained.
There is an argument by the Liberian Senate that before the war crime court is established in the country, it is constitutional that there must be a referendum by the citizens that will give the Supreme Court that power to get the court established.
Sainworla, who run the online news outlet, www.newspublictrust.com said, as it was in the case of Rwanda, the government of that country requested support from the UN to set up the court.
“We continue to be in a visual circle because we haven’t learned lessons from the past. It is clear that in Rwanda the country requested support from the UN to set up the court. Why should this government be so hypocritical about this matter? Why now in power, their tunes are changing,” he asked.
The veteran Liberian journalist said that the CDC government in particular is showing to the citizens every day that they are very hypocritical. “If you reflect on the past, the same President George Weah and his top officials were in the vanguard pushing the war crimes tribunal to persecute those who participated in the civil crisis. Now that they are in power their tunes are changing, something which is very sad for this country,” he said.
“Some of us covered the civil war and we saw the atrocities committed during that time. They are not even talking about reparation for example,” he added. According to him, reparation goes along with persecution, and once the government cannot push for the establishment of the court, she wouldn’t be able to carry out that portion of the TRC recommendation.
Sainworla argued that President Weah is believed to have the moral authority to push for the establishment of the war crimes court than Former President Sirleaf who participated in the war. “The argument that former President Sirleaf stayed in power for 12 years and during her tenure did nothing about persecuting war criminals is true. But she lacks the morals to get that done. “When Weah was UNICEF ambassador he talked about the need for people to be held accountable. Why is it that they are now in power but they are changing their tunes? This is a double standard that these people are playing in our country’s politics and this must stop,” he reiterated.
Sainworla stated that the Weah’s government has the honor to ensure that the court is established, and therefore they must stop causing delay.
“Those who bear the greatest responsibilities for the crimes in this country must be brought to account. Our situation seems normal, but it is not so because you have a country that if she doesn’t come to grips the past, the situation will not be calm for the future. There is a serious public outcry about the establishment of the war and economic crimes court during President Weah’s administration.”
Several civil society organizations, politicians and legal practitioners, over the last few months have raised their voices on this issue. The Liberian Senate recently passed a resolution to advise the President to set a Transitional Justice Committee that will review the recommendations coming out of the TRC which the war and economic crimes court establishment is key.
But this recent decision by the Senate has met a barrack of criticism from the Liberian public.
Editor’s Note: This piece was first published in the print edition of the Daily Observer on Friday, July 30, 2021