MONROVIA – As Liberia grapples with varying situations of injustices and high-level insecurity, and with the government and stakeholders fighting to end these menaces, the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) is of the belief that one of the best ways for deterrence in these situations would be the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court.
Madam Loretta Alethea Pope-Kai, Chairperson of the NCSCL, explained that since the end of the 14-year civil war, the country is now fighting a deeper war of injustice, disregard to the rule of law, civil society actors continue to be harassed, bullied, threatened and intimated on a daily basis, with members of their family also being targeted.
Predicated upon these, she opined that the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court still remains a matter of urgency, as Liberians continue to be frustrated over the closure of investigations into mysterious deaths across the country, which she maintains, have become business as usual.
These anomalies, she stated, have made the youthful population become more violent to the extent that the country is headed into a lawless state, in which the government at most times, operates when it is being pressured.
The CSO Council head made these remarks Monday, April 24, 2023, at the occasion marking the observance of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the launch of the Human Rights 75th Campaign focus on “Equality, Freedom, and Justice for All” held at the Monrovia City Hall.
“As we launch this campaign, I call on every stakeholder including our development partners, to review the Country Human Right roadmap, and engage the government on how they intend to address these issues that cut across every spectrum of our society, and the support to civil society in helping to amplify the voices of the rights of people in every sector,” said Madam Pope-Kai.
“We look forward to the government sharing with us [its] roadmap in addressing human rights issues in Liberia and how international NGOs and development partners can support civil society in this,” she added.
NCSCL is the apex body of all civil society organizations in the country (Liberia).
Like Madam Pope-Kai, Human Rights and Chairperson of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), Cllr. Dempster Brown also backed he establishment of the war and economic crime court here.
“We see the establishment of War Crime Court as the best solution. War crime court must come,” he noted.
Liberia’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, who served as keynote speaker at the occasion, explained that the current government has made numerous strides towards the protection of key human rights protocols.
He named some of those strides such as the upholding of press freedom with the enactment of Kamara Abdulai Kamara Act and other key instruments that promote free speech and freedom of expression.
“We also call for more discussions on inmates’ issue; the prison infrastructure concept – to build two additional prison facilities and also the rehabilitation of existing ones that meet international standard,” Justice Minister Dean stated.
