Monrovia, Liberia – Amid the global military escalation, a lecturer of communication at the University of Liberia and seasoned Liberian journalist, Frank Sainworlahas called for collaboration between the media and the judiciary in promoting international peace and security.
Mr. Sainworla asserts that there is an existential threat to international peace and security from the ongoing rise in global military financing.
In 2023, according to global research group, Statista, a staggering 2.44 trillion U.S dollars was spent worldwide on military activities, with the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and China among the top countries allocating significant portions of their national budgets to military preparedness and support.
The increasing wave of global military expenditure, which is believed to be triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, the War in Gaza, and the increasing tensions in the South China Seacoupled with growing climate change effects, has significantly impacted food security around the world, as more than 735 million people are reported to be living with starvation or undernourishment.
More than one fifth of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa are believed to be undernourished.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that millions of people will still be chronically undernourished in 2030 due to military invasions of countries like Ukraine.
The effect of increase global military expenditure on international peace and food security continues to raise concerns amongst global actors, including journalists, politicians, prelates, among others.
Addressing the 2024 African Regional Group meeting of the International Association of Trial Judges conference in Monrovia on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, Frank Sainworla called on both the independent judiciary and the media worldwide to combine efforts in ensuring that world peace and security is maintained.
“Independent journalists and independent jurists around the world must join forces in fighting against the increasing rise of militarism.”
Fostering Media and Judicial Independent
The Liberian media trainer, who spoke on the topic, “The role of the media in enhancing Judicial Independence”, stated that a vibrant independent media and a vibrant independent judiciary are the lynch-pinch to upholding democracy and promoting international peace and security; as such, they must stand firm in resisting all forms of clampdowns on their independence.
He stressed that the independent media and independent judiciary hold the key to global peace and security.
Sainworla cautioned the gathering of African legal experts to see the media (independent Media) as a partner in shielding light on attempts to undermine judicial independence.
He further used the gathering to laud what he considers the professional aggressive reporting by international journalists who are exposing gross human rights violations and war crimes in Ukraine and other parts of the world, stressing that these reports continue to shield light on where the world is drifting.
The 2024 Meeting of the African Regional Group of the International Association of Judges brought together jurists from the 20 African member countries including South Africa, Guinea, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali amongst others to deliberate and harness ways to promote the rule of law and judicial freedom across the world.
The judicial conference, held under the theme, “The Judiciary in Contemporary Times: Dispensing Justice in the New Information Age”, was also attended by Pan Africanist and Kenyan law professor, Patrick L.O. Lumumba who cautioned judicial actors to resist interferences from the state actors and uphold the highest standard of integrity in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities.
Prof. PLO Lumumba
Professor Lumumba, who spoke on the theme “Integrity Through Positive Actions: A Means of Ensuring an Independent Judiciary”, stated that achieving judicial independence is not merely a matter of institutional design.
The five-day Monrovia conference comes amidst reports of attempts by political actors in Liberia to interfere or undermine the independence of the judiciary by threatening to impeach judges for opinions rendered in litigations.
In her communication to the plenary of the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 18, 2024, Bong County District #6 representative, Moima Briggs Mensah asked that Criminal Court “B” Judge, Nelson Chinneh be impeached after he acquitted American Missionary, Lucas Richard who was on trial for attempted murder of his wife, Jessica Lloyd, a Liberian.
Representative Briggs-Mensah told plenary that decision of Judge Chinneh to acquit Lucas of allcharges levied against him despite the strong evidence adduced by the state, brings the judiciary and the entire government to disrepute.
If impeached, Judge Chinneh will become the latest jurist in Liberia to be evicted from office under five years after Associate Justice, Kabineh Ja’neh was impeached and removed from office in 2019.
Reported by: Moses Kpakolo
2moseskpakolo@gmail.com
