Washington DC, USA – In conjunction with Human Rights Watch and the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), human rights activist Adama Dempster held several meetings where he presented the recent Resolution reaffirming Liberians’ commitment to demand the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.
Civil society, justice activists, war victims, survivors, and the Liberian human rights community all supported the communication. Adama Dempster recently visited the United States where he met with the US Ambassador for War Crimes, US State Department personnel, members of Congress, and senior Democrat and Republican Congressional staffers to discuss a recent resolution for the creation of a war and economic crimes court in Liberia.
The resolution draws attention to section 46 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Act, which views civil society organizations as moral guarantors of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and assigns them the duty to monitor and advocate for the meticulous implementation of all the report’s recommendations. The US Government is urged to take action to stand with victims by supporting the establishment of a war crimes court for Liberia. This includes providing assistance to conduct a needs assessment on setting up a court that can conduct fair, credible trials of crimes committed during the civil wars, encouraging the prosecution of those found guilty, and encouraging the release of those found not guilty, in count 3 and 4. That every effort be made to imitate the actions taken in the region, such as the recent trial for the 2009 stadium massacre in Guinea, the prosecutions for atrocity crimes in Sierra Leone before the hybrid Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic, and the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal, in order to bring justice against crimes and atrocities like sexual violence, the enlistment of child soldiers, torture, and summary executions.
In respond to US Ambassador after receiving the resolution on her official twitter page – StateDept_GCJ (@Ambassador Beth Van Schaack, Global Crim Justice) Tweeted: Great to meet again with @AdamaDempster and discuss civil society’s collective resolution demanding justice for Liberia. Impunity for war crimes continues to affect all of Liberian society, and we stand with victims as they seek accountability.
As part of his advocacy, Dempster participated in the US-Africa Policy Working Group’s launch on May 11, 2023, in Washington, DC after the resolution’s presentation and interaction with Congress. The group was chaired by Congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
Twenty members of Congress pledged to forge alliances with the African continent during the US-Africa Policy Working Group’s inauguration. According to Rep. Omar’s inaugural statement, “The Working Group will be active on the multiple urgent problems in Africa, from the conflicts in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the spate of coups and instability in West Africa and the Sahel.”
Concentrate on the continent’s numerous achievements, from Senegal’s outstanding leadership in global health to the motivational African movements for democracy and human rights. Dempster had fruitful and informative discussions about the future of Liberia’s journey to justice, the promotion, and the protection of human rights and democracy while serving as the ambassador of Liberia among other African nations.
As Liberia approaches the 20th anniversary of the end of the war in August, impunity continues to be a stain on the nation, going against the rights and requirements of victims and appearing to be the root of many issues with respect to upholding the rule of law, including ongoing corruption in Liberia.
According to Dempster, President Weah has the chance to finally take decisive action to start the process of establishing a court in order to meet long-standing requirements before the August anniversary.
