The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has restated its call on President George Weah “to prioritize the prosecution of those who bear greater responsibility for the slaughtering of over two hundred and fifty thousand people during Liberia’s Civil Wars.”
By the time the 14 years civil war ended in Liberia in 2013, United Nations estimate said some 250,000 people were killed/
Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) investigated the root causes of the civil war and in its 20010 report recommended prosecution for all those who bear the greatest responsibilities for the carnage. It also recommended sanctions for key backers and funders of the various armed factions as well as reparation for war victims.
But to date, none of that has been carried out by Liberia.
In fact, many of the perpetrators of one of Africa’s most brutal civil wars have sine got top political jobs, with some being at the highest levels of the national political leadership.
“Justice for victims of the civil wars it says must be realized during the regime of a true icon of peace who is believed to have had no connection to the civil upheaval that ravaged Liberia for more than a decade,” the PUL said on Thursday in a press release announcing the holding of a one-day training workshop for Journalists on understanding war crimes related reporting.
Fifteen News Editors and Senior Reporters from major media outlets in Liberia are expected to participate in a day long forum on Thursday.
The workshop is a partnership with the Global Justice and Research Project and the Press Union of Liberia and will as well be held at the Headquarters of the Press Union of Liberia on 44 Clay Street, Monrovia.
With the participants being drawn from the top of the newsrooms, the workshop focuses on enhancing the understanding of journalists on war related crimes coverage as the number of individuals being indicted for crimes allegedly committed during the civil wars is on the increase.
The workshop aims to enrich journalists’ quality on wide ranging War Crimes, Humanitarian Law issues and accompanying professional jargons significant to the prosecution of people who bear the greater responsibility for atrocities committed during Liberia’s Civil Wars.
This understanding war related crimes training is the beginning of PUL’s efforts to build broad base synergies on the prosecution of people who managed, commanded and executed the Liberian Civil Wars.
It is also designed to deepen coverage skills, improve the quality of production, and expose journalists to the complexity of laws of countries currently prosecuting former rebels.
Crimes against Humanity, witnesses handling, Security Issue associated with reporting war related crimes will also feature during the training.
The PUL maintains that no sooner than now is right to bury the injustices of the past and charter a new national course which will be rooted in human dignity and the right to life.