IPNEWS – Monrovia: On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, the leadership on the Senate submitted a three-page document to Plenary, among others, advising the President to constitute a Transitional Justice Commission TJC) to determine why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommendations have not been timely and fully implemented; whether the Commission fully complied with its mandates, such as the face-to-face meeting between perpetrators of crimes and other offenses, and the respective victims.
It was also reported that the leadership advises that its proposed TJC should examine the effect of the August 2003 Act of the Legislature that grants amnesty to participants, including warlords; to analyze credibility and legitimacy issues surrounding the TRC Final Report in respect of the fact four (4) of the Commissioners had serious issues with the Report and consequently, two did sign the document but instead presented a dissenting report.
Information from the Senate said the leadership also counsels the President to examine ratification/accession of Liberia to the Rome Statute in 2004 after the civil war on the establishment of a war crimes court and to separate said court if established, that has an international dimension from an economic crimes court, which already exists in Liberia.
The leadership opined that the cardinal purpose for which the TRC was proposed by the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement was “to provide a forum that will address issues of impunity, as well as the opportunity for both the victims and perpetrators of human rights violations to share their experiences, in order to get a clear picture of the past to facilitate genuine healing and reconciliation.”
In reaction to the Senate’s recent decision, the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) has formally written a letter to the Senate, registering its objection to the decision to establish a Transitional Justice Commission (TJC).
The council’s Secretary General, Reverend Christopher Toe, disclosed that the religious leaders reached the decision at an emergency meeting held in Monrovia recently.
Reverend Toe revealed that the religious community has resolved that they will not form part of the TJC if it is established.
The LCC Secretary General spoke recently at a program to observe the International Justice Day organized by the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Monrovia.
In a related development, the Chairman of the board of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, Reverend Francis Kollie described the decision of the Senate as a slap in the faces of the 250,000 people who were killed during the civil war.
He called for unity and togetherness among the civil society organizations involved in the fight for accountability and justice for crimes committed during the civil crisis.
On his part, the Human Rights Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, David Dolo, said the United Nations strongly believe that holding perpetrators accountable for war era gross human rights violations is the surest guarantee for sustaining peace,, democracy and development in a post conflict society.
He expressed concern that none of those mentioned in the TRC reports have been to justice and that some of those mentioned in the report are holding high positions in the executive and legislative branches of the government
Mr. Dolo noted that the UN is also concerned about the lack of a comprehensive program of reparation for victims of the war.
The program, which was organized by the Civil Society Human Rights Platform of Liberia and the Office of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, was held under the theme: “Promoting Justice and Accountability for Past and Future Crimes in Liberia.”
