PHOTO: L-R Hassan Bility and Adama Dempster
By William Selmah, wselmah@gmail.com
The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform is demanding a probe into recent threats directed key human rights defenders in Liberia including its Secretary General Adama K. Dempster.
They are resolute they will not take the matter lightly. The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform is a network of 40 national human rights institutions in Liberia.
The group said at a news conference that the recent threats against the rights defenders in Liberia are creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the country’s human rights community, while at the same time reminding the government of its constitutional and statutory obligations to at all times protect and promote the rights of all, including rights advocates residing within its territorial confines.
In a statement read by a member of the Technical Committee and Board of Directors Danieletta Sleyon, the consortium recounted how the work of human rights defenders in the country continues to impact governance in the country through calls for accountability and justice for past crimes and prosecution of those involved in other national crimes.
“We call on the government to renew and uphold its commitment to protect human rights defenders. This must include the safeguard of the space for human rights defenders to participate in discussions on human rights at national, regional and international fora”.
The UN declaration on human rights defenders calls for the protection of human rights defenders in the context of their work.
The human rights institutions used the forum to remind the Liberian government of key provisions of Article 1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders including seeking to protect and realization of human rights at national and international levels, developing and discussing new human rights ideas and principles, as well as, advocating their acceptance, among others.
“The human rights community is using this medium to notify the international community and diplomatic missions accredited near Monrovia of the seemingly toxic human rights environment currently existing in Liberia; especially threats against its Secretary General Adama Dempster”.
The rights groups are resolute they will not take the matter lightly.
Rev. Francis Kollie of Prison Fellowship Liberia and Davestus James of PMU were among Board members of the platform that attended the meeting.
Rev. Kollie said prior their statement being read that holding round table discussions is always the best way out, as opposed to issuance of threats and intimidation, no matter the situation on the ground.
He said their complaint is currently before the relevant human rights authorities at the Justice Ministry. “These threats should not be considered to be only against human rights defenders, but against the Liberian people”, he said.
For her part, Madam Sleyon stressed the need for Liberia to grow and to grow out of the culture of impunity.
Following news of the threats, Mr. Dempster emphatically stated that no amount of threats will force them into abandoning their campaign.
“We came out of back-to-back civil wars following which atrocities committed during that period were committed. We did not write the TRC report. Government constituted the TRC to document the atrocities committed and we are simply following up on the TRC recommendations”, Dempster noted following the threats.
International human rights organizations recently highlighted what they termed credible threats against key human rights defenders in Liberia, and consequently reminded the Liberian government of its obligation to protect all including human rights defenders.