Monrovia, Liberia – Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, the Executive Director of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court, has the support of numerous civil society groups (CSOs).
On Thursday, July 4, 2024, the CSOs announced their support for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s appointment of Cllr. Massaquoi, under the auspices of the Liberia NGOs Network (LINNK) and the Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND).
21 years have passed since the conclusion of Liberia’s civil war, but the nation still face major challenges, as stated by the CSOs in the joint resolution.
It listed serious challenges to Liberia’s peace and stability under succeeding governments, including violent crime and violations of human rights.
President Joseph N. Boakai deserves praise for showing the political will to take critical steps toward establishing a war and economic crimes court to prosecute alleged perpetrators, the CSOs said, even though previous administrations deserve criticism for failing to fulfill their duties in a patriotic, international, moral, and legal manner to establish a judicial framework addressing past abuses.
They contended that when the decision is completely put into effect, it will not only address the most pressing issue in Liberia namely, impunity but also offer a chance for advancement in a country where war victims are still suffering under dishonest economic governance that is partially supported by former warlords.
The CSOs observed that a long-standing unwillingness to bring war crime perpetrators accountable is at the heart of this complicated issue.
They bemoaned the fact that during the harsh 14 years of Liberia’s dark past, the country was turned into a killing field by notorious warlords and their supporters—many of whom have subsequently entered politics.
They claim that as a result, a quarter of a million innocent people—mostly women and children—have died needlessly. The CSOs responded to these atrocities by reminding people that Liberia had set up the Truth and healing Commission (TRC) to guarantee justice for war and economic crimes as well as to promote national healing.
They went on to say that by advocating the creation of a special court to bring charges against individuals accountable for these horrible deeds, the TRC carried out its mandate. The CSOs pointed out that, in spite of certain noteworthy advancements, numerous foreign assessments on Liberia present a concerning image of the country’s rising levels of violence, drug misuse, corruption, and severe economic inequality.
They revealed that, despite two decades of comparatively calm and stability, violent crime rates are still startlingly high throughout the nation, making Liberia’s problem more difficult.
The CSOs continued by saying that violent crime, both small-scale and large-scale, is classified in both domestic and foreign reports as opportunistic, made worse by a deficient legal system and pervasive poverty, which primarily affects young people.
According to them, corruption has hampered every administration in Liberia’s history, hastening the country’s moral collapse. Public official corruption has gotten worse and a culture of impunity has been fostered by the inability to successfully prosecute public officials and the lack of strong political commitment to stop waste and abuse.
According to their claims, evidence indicates that 70% of Liberians are living in multifaceted poverty, which is exacerbated by a high percentage of youth unemployment, widespread corruption, and rapid inflation. They cautioned that the possibility of instability in light of the high expense of living is further increased by the lack of faith in the judiciary.
The CSOs contended that Liberians ought to resist unconstitutional and disruptive forms of government, especially in light of the growing possibility of military coups in the area. They recommended taking concrete steps to protect and fortify Liberia’s democracy from outside intervention.
