MONROVIA – The Coalition for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia (CEWAECCL) says it has observed with grave concern the election and re-election of major warlords and individuals accused of war and economic crimes in the just-ended October 10, 2023, presidential and legislative elections.
In a press statement issued yesterday through the Lead Campaigner of CEWAECCL Adama K. Dempster further expressed disappointment in some Liberian voters over the election of these individuals to public offices, adding that the election of those individuals, is a classic example of the continual roadblocks faced by the past legislature which had the propensity to undermine the quest for justice, accountability, and the advocacy for instituting war and economic crimes court in Liberia. See full press statement below:
We, the heads of over 30 human rights, Civil Society, religious, and development organizations have observed with grave concern the election and re-election of major warlords and individuals accused of war and economic crimes at the level of the national legislature following the just-ended October 10, 2023, presidential and legislative elections.
The Coalition – CEWAECCL, has further expressed disappointment in some Liberian voters over the election of these individuals to public offices. This is a classic example of the continual roadblocks faced by the past legislature which had a propensity to undermine the quest for justice, accountability, and the advocacy for instituting war and economic crimes court in Liberia.
The “Coalition for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia, is an embodiment of the “April 2023 National Convening of Justice Campaigners, Civil Society Organizations, War Victims and Human Rights Community” Resolution that sets out the “Path to Achieving Accountability for Past Crimes in Liberia.”
The Coalition has further reaffirmed its commitment to pursue justice and accountability for war victims, and survivors alike, including women and youth who suffered heinous crimes perpetrated by warlords and fighting groups in Liberia.
The April 2023 resolution is a national document that was presented to the US Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice (War Crimes) in Washington DC in May 2023 and to senior members of US Congressional Staffs in Washington DC, as well as Officials at the African Bureau, the U.S. States Department. It was also endorsed by the U.S. based Liberian Diaspora group, “the Coalition for Justice in Liberia” (CJL), which enhanced rallying support to address the quest for justice in Liberia.
The CSO Coalition, “CEWAECCL” further reminds Liberians that the election of these individuals violates the July 2018 United Nations Human Rights Committee Concluding Observations which called on Liberia to ensure the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and noted with regret that “very few steps have taken to implement the bulk of the recommendations issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009.”
The UN Committee notes with fear that none of the alleged perpetrators of gross human rights violations and war crimes mentioned in the TRC’s report have been brought to justice and that some of those individuals are or have been holding official/executive positions in the Government.
The UN Committee further noted that the Government of Liberia “should, as a matter of priority, establish a process of accountability for past gross human rights violations and war crimes that conforms to international standards.”
The Committee also recommended that the Government of Liberia ensure that all alleged perpetrators of gross human rights violations and war crimes are impartially prosecuted and, if found guilty, convicted and punished in accordance with the gravity of the acts committed, regardless of their status or any domestic legislation on immunities, and remove any persons who are proven to have been involved in gross human rights violations and war crimes from official positions.”
The CSO-coalition – CEWAECCL sees the elections of these individuals as a recipe for the continual promotion of the culture of impunity in Liberia, and the determinant root cause that undermines the rule of law in Liberia.
However, the CSO-coalition – CEWAECCL calls on the Liberian government, regional bodies including Human rights organizations, and the international community to strengthen democracy and the rule of law through the path to achieving accountability for past crimes and the promotion of justice in Liberia.
