The Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia Wants Senate Withdraw Sen. Johnson’s Election as Chairman on Defense and Security

Monrovia – The Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, a network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on human rights and transitional justice issues in Liberia, is calling on the Liberian Senate to immediately withdraw the names of Prince Johnson and Cllr. Varney Sherman on the Senate committees on Defense and Intelligence and Judiciary, Human Rights and Petition, respectively.

Johnson, a warlord and senator of Nimba County, was last week elected to chair the committee on Defense and Security, while Sherman, senator of Grand Cape Mount County who was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for corruption involving judicial bribery, was elected unopposed the chair on the Senate committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Petition.

The Human Advocacy Platform of Liberia also the decision by the Liberian Senate to elect Senators Johnson and Cllr Varney Sherman to chair the sensitive committees is an embarrassment to Liberia and undermines the spirit to promote and protect human rights in Liberia.

Their elections, the group said, is in violation of several recommendations made to the government in 2018 by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

One of the recommendations, according to the organization, is that the government should, as a matter of priority, establish a process of accountability for past gross human rights violations and war crimes that conform to international standards.

The government, according to another recommendation the organization said should 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 or 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 organization said the elections of both senators is undemocratic, morally wrong, and a slap to good governance and accountability and a clear endorsement for impunity.

Adama K. Dempster, Secretary GeneralCSO Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia and Founding Director, Independent human Rights Investigators- IHRI, says the committees on Defense and National Security and the Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions are sensitive committees that should be headed by men of unquestionable integrity that will not jeopardize our national security and human rights standards.

Dempster also said such committees are not made for persons that are alleged to have committed war crimes and are not remorseful for their actions.

He added: “Putting such persons in position of authority is making caricature of our country before the international community who will rightly interpret the action as endorsing impunity and closing the door for accountability”.

“Election of such persons to such positions is a deliberate attempt to constitute obstacle to carrying out calls by Liberians for Government to establish Economic and War Crimes Court”.

“Maintaining such persons in such position is sending a very wrong signals to Liberians that anybody can commit war crime and judicial corruption / bribery and go free because those that committed same are rewarded with political appointments instead of punishment”.

He said the Liberian Senate has the legal and moral duty to ensure that persons who in one way or the other contributed to hardship of Liberians do not occupy sensitive leadership positions.

He added: “Their elections will not promote reconciliation but will  further deepen the wounds of thousands of Liberians who were and are still affected by their involvement and actions against humanity”.

“Their elections further poses threats to human rights and war crimes court campaigners based on his (Prince Johnson) public condemnation and verbal attacks on individuals and their efforts regarding establishment of war crimes court for Liberia”.

Dempster said their elections would scare away investors and international partners who are poised to helping Liberia’s economic development.

The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia welcomes efforts made by Liberia’s international partners – the United Nations, United States, European Union, African Union and ECOWAS in maintaining national peace and Security in Liberia.

Whereby call on the International Community to stand by the disadvantaged Liberians including victims of war, women, children, disabled, elderly and the masses and to call on the Liberian Senate to cancel these Senate committee elections.