PHOTO: Rev. Torli H. Krua, Founder UHRI & Free Liberia Movement
Universal Human Rights International (UHRI)
The Free Liberia Movement
Guaranteed Economic Freedom & Equal Opportunities for all Liberians
Rebirth, Not Recycling of Politicians
October 1, 2023
For Immediate Release:
Sign up for Interested Citizens, Organizations Political Parties & Citizen Groups
URGENT MEETING WITH US Ambassador to Liberia, Benson Street, Monrovia, Liberia
Tuesday October 3, 2023 at 10:00AM
ECONOMIC FREEDOM & EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL LIBERIANS
RESPONSE TO THE US VISA PETITION OF JANUARY 18, 2023
PREVENTING ELECTION VIOLENCE IN LIBERIA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM THAT IS NOT FREE, NOT FAIR AND NOT DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM
CLARITY ON LOOPHOLES OF RECENT VISA RESTRICTIONS POLICY AND QUESTIONS ABOUT UNLEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR POLITICIANS NOT SUBJECT TO VISA RESTRICTIONS DUE TO PERMANENT RESIDENCY STATUS & US CITIZENSHIP
CONTACT: REV. Torli H. Krua, Founder UHRI & Free Liberia Movement
Tel: +1-857-249-9983 / Harlankrua@gmail.com
Boston, Massachusetts, USA-As Liberia was created by the Government of the United States of America through high-ranking officials of all three branches of government, two acts of the US Congress, American taxes and the force of the US Navy, long before the registration and incorporation of the American Colonization Society in 1837, the United States legally owes all Liberians a duty of care and protection to ensure economic freedom, prosperity, security, justice and equal opportunities for all Liberians! We are calling an emergency meeting to ask the United States Government to lead efforts aimed at preventing another bloodbath in Liberia, a colony created by the Government of the United States for the settlement of American citizens of color, whose inalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness were violated by unmitigated codified racism.
Additionally, as the current Weah-led Administration is a partner of the United States and other democratic nations, including the European Union, ECOWAS and the African Union, these groupings of democratic nations have obligations to ensure that contests for civic leadership are free, fair, and inclusive. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Liberia’s system of governance was designed to enrich and empower American slave masters and politicians, no political party has complained about the Election Laws and Electoral Systems egregious burdensome financial requirements and excessive fees that favor incumbents and wealthy individuals with ties to business interests locally and abroad. “Prevention is better (cheaper) than cure.”
And so given the high rate of unemployment among the youths, economic hardships and lack of opportunities, Liberia is a time bomb ready to either diffuse or explode in electoral violence or military coup because of a flawed, unfair, undemocratic electoral system that excludes the majority of citizens and cannot yield a democratic outcome. No political party is complaining about the unfair and unjustifiable system because the corrupt system ensures that politicians can game the system to land a job somewhere between the top and bottom in order to enrich themselves. There are no “Write In” candidate options for citizens-led participation or legal avenues for citizens to challenge the flawed laws and rules Pro Se in the court of law, leaving violence, and military coups as the only alternatives.
Given these flaws, we, as taxpayers and citizens of Liberia and the United States call on the United States and the International Community to join us in calling for a sovereign National Conference, where citizens may draw a new blueprint for a government of the people, by the people and for the people that guarantees security, economic freedoms, justice and equal opportunities for all, and where contests for civic leadership are not compromised to exclude citizens due to burdensome financial roadblocks installed by incumbents gaming the corrupt system designed to empower and enrich politicians.
There are over 40 political parties registered and certified by the Election Commissions. However, only 20 political parties are eligible to contest in 2023. Over half of the registered political parties cannot contest because of excessive and burdensome financial requirements. The electoral system that disenfranchises over 50% of contestants based on burdensome financial roadblocks cannot possibly claim to be free, fair or democratic. The rising military coups in African nations can be traced to electoral systems that are not free, not fair and burdensome.
Additionally, as codified racism by the United States Congress continues to ravage the lives of Native Americans and Liberians, we are calling on the Ambassador to get a response relative to our US VISA waiver Petition that we presented to the US president Joe Biden, on January 18, 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Event through the US Embassy in Liberia. We were told that the Embassy would get back to us but after 8 months of waiting, we would like to know the outcome to help us prepare our next steps.
Our petition which contained several legal obligations of the Government of the United States for granting US Visa Waiver for all Liberians to access quality education, employment and business and religious opportunities in the United States without visa restrictions includes:
- The American Declaration of Independence and the fact that Liberians hold ties and contributions to America before the American Declaration of Independence and that American Colonization was a violation of the inalienable rights of American citizens settled in Liberia as well as the rights of indigenous Africans residing in the territory held under American Colonization.
- The landmark case in Massachusetts, Brom and Betts V. Ashley confirmed that slavery was a crime against humanity and all Americans, regardless of color, are entitled to enjoy freedom, nullifying slavery and American Colonization.
- The ongoing harm of unmitigated codified racism enacted by Congress on March 26, 1790 is an existential threat risking the total and catastrophic collapse of the divided “United” States of America that demands urgent action before it’s too late.
- The Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation signed between the Republic of Liberia and the United States of America in 1938. This treaty broadened American interests and allowed expanded access for US economic and cultural penetration of Liberia. The treaty allowed nationals of each country to “enter, travel and reside in the territories of the other” and to engage, within the parameter of national law, “in professional, scientific, religious, philanthropic, manufacturing and commercial work of every kind without interference” (Office of Trade Agreements Negotiation and Compliance [TANC] 1938, Article I). Furthermore, the treaty ensured limited taxation on foreign investments, optimal protection of property rights, and “freedom of commerce and navigation” (TANC 1938, Article VII). This, in turn, allowed the high contracting parties “to come with their vessels and cargoes to all places, ports, and waters of every kind within the territorial limits of the other” (TANC 1938, Article VII).
- The Treaty between the Federal Government and the Creek Tribe underscores why citizenship of free Blacks and enslaved Blacks cannot be denied by the Creeks nor the Government of the United States.
- This week, the United States extended Visa Waiver privilege to the state of Israel which was not even in existence when the blueprints of the United States was initiated on July 4, 1776. Former enemies of the United States, Japan, Germany and Korea are all beneficiaries of the United States Visa Waiver but Liberia, which has been entitled since 1825 remains in the cold, without opportunities and the United States Embassy is taking millions of dollars from Liberians denied visa since 1990. It’s worthy to note that there are 41 countries benefiting from visa waiver but not a single African nation is included. Our petition also called for a full refund with interest.
- The US State Department issued a policy of visa restriction for anyone undermining the democratic process in the October 10, 2023 Elections. However, the State Department is mute about the lack of a level playing field, and whether or not Liberia’s current electoral system and Election laws are free and fair given the excessive fees for registration of up to $1500.00USD and additional requirement of $10,000.00USD minimum bank account balance and $100,000.00 USD Insurance bond in a country where the majority of citizens are poor.
- The Liberian Civil War was planned, and funded from American Soil by American persons with permanent residency and American passports who did not require visas to enter the United States. Most of the players in the current unfair and undemocratic 2023 Electoral Process are just like those who planned and funded the Liberian Civil War on American Soil. The war planners were not affected by visa restrictions because they were American persons with green cards and or American passports. Without any measures aimed at deterring American persons in a territory purchased with American taxes and for the settlement of American citizens, the policy is woefully inadequate.
- In 2023, there are still thousands of Liberian refugees living across the United States in crisis because the Government of the United States unfairly excluded them from benefits of the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act signed by President Trump. At the same time, Ukrainians who recently arrived last year have all been protected by the United States along with their family members living overseas.
- Article 1 of the 1824 Constitution is still in force: “All persons born within the limits of the territory held by the American Colonization society in Liberia, in Africa or moving there to reside shall be free and entitled to all the privileges, as are enjoyed by the Citizens of the United States”, (Article 95 of the 1986 Constitution and Miscellaneous Article 1 of the 1847 Constitution).
- In 1990, the United States Department sent an unlawful order to refuse visas to all Liberian applicants fleeing the violence to join relatives in the United States. The same State Department ordered the granting of visas to Lebanese and Indian nationals in Liberia for business purposes. Dr. Panjabi, the Head of President Biden’s Malaria Initiative was born in Liberia and was granted visas to travel to the United States where he didn’t have relatives but Liberians with relatives in America were denied visa in violation of the “equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. These egregious violations of American laws cannot continue with impunity because it divides America and endangers global security due the the risks of collapse it poses to the superpower.
857-249-9983