Monrovia – Liberia’s Justice System has come under intense scrutiny by Prison Fellowship following a recent report about jailbreak in Bong County.
Prison Fellowship Executive Director, Francis Kollie has blamed the government for series of jailbreaks across the country.
According to him, pretrial detainees spend a longer time in prison which violates their rights for have justice.
Mr. Kollie said he wants the government to take full responsibility for the jailbreak in the country because the prisoners have been denied justice.
“When there is no justice; people take laws in their hands and this is the case of Liberia. Justice is being denied for so many people so people are now taking laws in their hands which are not right.”
Mr. Kollie told FrontPage Africa on Wednesday that Liberians have, over the years, suffered abuses as a result of too many harsh laws on the country’s docket.
These harsh laws, according to Kollie, are leading to prolong pretrial detentions which place the country in the limelight of having a high rate of pretrial detainees.
He revealed that Prison Fellowship Liberia has been engaging the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary on repealing some of these harsh laws as the result of these inhumane treatments meted against pretrial detainees.
“The laws are too harsh in this country and we are telling people not to rush in making laws especially those laws that are very harsh, for examples the Rape Law which is now under review.
He said despite the fellowship stands against men meting violence against women, the punishment should be lenient.
“In the absence of evidence that should be provided, people should not be sentenced, giving them ten years, five years and so on.
There are people who leave in detention and die, we think it’s harsh,” Kollie lamented.