Liberia: War Crimes Courts Alleged to Deliver Inclusive Justice But Victims Say They Are Being Excluded

By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives

MONROVIA, Liberia—It’s a mantra repeated by authorities officers, activists and the worldwide neighborhood: Liberia’s victims and survivors have to be on the coronary heart of efforts to deliver justice for crimes dedicated within the nation’s lengthy civil wars that led to 2003. But now the workplace to ascertain the War and Economic Crimes Courts is lastly taking form, victims and survivors say they’ve been excluded from the method.

Victims teams say they weren’t consulted within the Legislature’s passage of the decision approving the courts. Neither have been they consulted when President Joseph Boakai issued an govt order to ascertain the Office of the courts. They have been excluded, together with all exterior gamers, when President Boakai appointed Jonathan Massaquoi to move the Office for the courts. And, when that lack of inclusivity prompted an outcry that pressured the president to rescind Cllr. Massaquoi’s appointment, victims teams have been once more excluded from the “inclusive” committee to nominate his successor.

Victims are offended they usually say their continued exclusion threatens to undermine public assist for the courts.  
“The process is about us. Why couldn’t we be at the table?” asks Mr. Sonyah. “They intentionally did it so that we couldn’t be part of this whole thing. We will still make our cry that our voices should be heard.”

Because of the lengthy period of the battle, Liberia has an awfully excessive variety of victims and survivors. About 250,000 died and tons of of 1000’s extra have been injured. Half the inhabitants was displaced. Hundreds of 1000’s fled abroad. No Liberian was left untouched by the battle.

Opponents of Liberia’s transitional justice have repeatedly threatened to incite violence and sought to stoke public worry that battle will rekindle if a court docket takes place. Two successive presidents cited that worry when refusing to observe the recommendation of the 2009 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report to ascertain it.  Experts say it will likely be important that Liberia’s victims really feel that they’re central to the method if assist for the courts is to be maintained. It can even be key to encouraging witnesses to testify. Earlier efforts to prosecute accused struggle criminals below Liberian regulation have been deserted partly due to witnesses’ worry of testifying.

“We bear the greatest pain,” says Mr. Peterson Sonyah, govt director of the Liberia Massacre and Survivors Association, the most important victims’ and survivors’ group. “So, if you get us involved you are heading somewhere. But if you just exclude us from the whole process, and we don’t know anything that is going on, we will not feel fine.”

In a telephone interview, Atty. Siaffa Bahn Kemokai, head of secretariat of the committee to nominate the top of the Office of the Courts, denied the exclusion of a sufferer’s group member from the committee meant they weren’t on the coronary heart of the method.

“They are the ones we are fighting for. They are the ones we are seeking this justice for,” stated Atty. Kemokai. He stated Adama Dempster, a number one human rights advocate, was appointed to the committee to symbolize victims and survivors together with different human rights teams. “So, by that fact they were there is a clear representation.”

Mr. Sonyah rejected that rationalization saying a consultant of victims’ ought to have been within the room.

Victims teams might discover some consolation within the first phrases of the newly appointed head of the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Courts (often known as WECC), stated Cllr. Jallah Barbu. He has pledged to work with them.

“It will not be proper for me or anybody working with me in this office to set aside or to exclude any victim or interested organizations that are representing victims or have interest in the functions of the WECC Office,” stated Dr. Barbu in a telephone interview. “We are firm on inclusion rather than exclusion and the very purpose of establishing the office, as well as the court, is to ensure that victims are given redress, those will be accused are given the opportunity to vindicate themselves once indicted and tried and our country will have a greater sense of justice.”

The extraordinary trauma brought on by the struggle has had a deep influence on all Liberians and on Liberian society itself based on specialists. Mental well being advocates say that past making certain victims and survivors really feel included, court docket leaders might want to think about the rekindling of trauma that the courts will provoke for all Liberians. They say that concern ought to be central to the method. Keeping victims onside might be key.

“The victim groups are very important,” says Mr. Seidu Swarary, a Liberian psychosocial counselor, whose group the Liberia Association of Psychosocial Services, gives counseling to victims amongst its purchasers. “Their perspective is highly needed. In a psychological sense, in the way they interpret, the way they see it, the way they see the situation. So, I strongly suggest that they too be talked to and their information, their suggestions be included in the design of this upcoming war and economic crimes courts for our country.”

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as a part of the “Investigating Liberia” undertaking. Funding was offered by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia. The funder had no say within the story’s content material.