Geneva, Switzerland – The 2015 International Children’s Peace Prize winner Abraham M. Keita has appealed to UN bodies to elevate calls by Liberians for the establishment of a war crimes court in Liberia. It can be recalled that recent advocacies by Liberians at home and in the diaspora have attracted the attention of United Nations and other world bodies.
Last Friday, September 26, President George Weah, for the first time, addressed the UN General Assembly during its 73rd Session. But as he tried to burnish his administration in a speech that critics said was an “empty talk”, Liberians under the banner March for Justice Campaign were protesting outside the UN headquarters in New York, calling on President Weah to adhere to demands to prosecute all those who sponsored and participated in Liberia’s 14 years civil war, that led to the killing of more than 200,000 people including children.
Speaking at the Day of General Discussion during the 79th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva which focused on “protecting and empowering children as human rights defenders”, Keita urged the committee to begin to look into crimes committed against children including war crimes. “I want to urge this committee of child rights experts, drawn from all corners of the globe, to begin to intervene in war crimes that involve children. In recent months, activists and civil society organizations in my country, Liberia, have stressed the need for a court to prosecute warlords and all other persons who participated in or supported the 14 years civil war.”
“In my country, I face threats every single day. I speak against injustices carried out by remorseless adults, individuals who killed thousands of people during the war; they are warlords; they are in our National Legislature, in our Executive, and in the Judiciary. But I cannot give up, and we will not give in. That is why I support and join calls for the establishment of a war crimes court in Liberia. It’s dangerous since the very murderers are in government, but we are not afraid”, he stated in a speech that received standing ovation by the audience.
The fierce child rights activist also called on young human rights defenders to overcome threats and fear, and face the winds of political repression. “As you stand up for your human rights, as you stand up for people, for yourself, you must bear in mind that it is not going to be easy, but just as it will not be easy, you should not give up. Let fear not be in our dictionary, in our books.”
He further stated that children continue to be killed and hurt, but “we don’t need more statistics, we need actions! How can we fail the children in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan?”, Keita averred. “To the adults sitting here, to the adults, world leaders, currently attending the UN General Assembly in New York, we. The young people, are saying – enough! Children have had enough.”