MONROVIA – While Liberia’s legislative elections, a part of the 2023 general elections, concluded without major disruptions, the choices made in some constituencies have elicited disappointment and concern among a group of pro-justice campaigners.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh – [email protected]
The Coalition for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia (CEWAECCL) has expressed strong disapproval of the election of several individuals accused of war and economic crimes to the Liberian Legislature following the general elections on October 10.
CEWAECCL comprised of more than 30 human rights, civil society, religious, and development organizations that have persistently advocated for accountability for crimes in Liberia.
In a statement released after the elections, CEWAECCL asserted that the election of alleged warlords and individuals accused of economic crimes could exacerbate the challenges in seeking justice for past crimes committed during and after the Liberian civil war. The group emphasized that such elections would perpetuate a culture of impunity and hinder the rule of law in Liberia.
“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,” the group said.
Meet the Alleged Culprits
Despite the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which called for the establishment of a court to try certain Liberians accused of serious war and economic crimes, no accountability has been pursued by the government for these crimes since the end of Liberia’s brutal civil war. Although several Liberians have been tried and convicted for crimes related to Liberian civil war in Europe and the United States.
The successive governments led by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the incumbent President George Weah have failed to implement the TRC’s recommendations. Human rights groups and advocates for a war and economic crimes court have attributed this failure to the election and appointment of major warlords and individuals accused of war and economic crimes to legislative and other prominent positions.
One such controversial figure elected to the legislature is Senator Prince Y. Johnson, a former warlord known for ordering his Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) troops to torture and murder former Liberian President Samuel Kanyon Doe during the civil war in 1990. Johnson, first elected in 2005, has secured re-election for three consecutive nine-year terms. At the end of his upcoming tenure, he will have served for a staggering 27 years.
Another former warlord, Thomas Yaya Nimely, who led the now-defunct rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), was also elected to the legislature. Like Senator Johnson, Nimely is listed by the TRC.
Other controversial figures include Nathaniel McGill, former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff for President George Weah, who was elected as Senator of Margibi County, and Bill Tweahway, former Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), who was elected as Senator of Rivercess County. Both McGill and Tweahway have been sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department under the Global Magnitsky Act for alleged public corruption in Liberia.
‘Fight for Justice continues despite setback’
CEWAECCL expressed its disappointment in some Liberian voters who elected these individuals to public offices. The coalition described this situation as a continuing obstacle faced by previous legislatures that have undermined the pursuit of justice, accountability, and the establishment of a war and economic crimes court in Liberia.
CEWAECCL said it represents the embodiment of the “April 2023 National Convening of Justice Campaigners, Civil Society Organizations, War Victims, and the Human Rights Community” Resolution, which outlines the “Path to Achieving Accountability for Past Crimes in Liberia.”
This resolution was presented to the U.S. Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice (War Crimes) in Washington, D.C., and senior members of U.S. Congressional Staffs in Washington, D.C. It was also endorsed by the U.S.-based Liberian Diaspora group, the “Coalition for Justice in Liberia” (CJL), which further galvanized support for the pursuit of justice in Liberia.
CEWAECCL noted that the election of these individuals runs counter to 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). The UN Committee expressed regret that very few steps had been taken to implement the bulk of the recommendations issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009.
The committee also emphasized the need for Liberia to establish a process of accountability for past gross human rights violations and war crimes that aligns with international standards. It urged that all alleged perpetrators of gross human rights violations and war crimes be 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. The committee also called for the removal of individuals proven to have been involved in gross human rights violations and war crimes from official positions.
Despite this setback, CEWAECCL said it remains determined to pursue justice and accountability for war victims, survivors, including women and youth who endured heinous crimes committed by warlords and fighting groups in Liberia.
The coalition called on the Liberian government, regional bodies, human rights organizations, and the international community to strengthen democracy and the rule of law while advancing the cause of accountability for past crimes and the promotion of justice in Liberia.
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