Justice delayed

By Edwin N Khakie

The Gbarnga Central Prison is facing a worsening crisis as the number of pre-trial detainees continues to swell, a situation attributed to the government’s failure to dispense timely justice to some of Liberia’s most vulnerable citizens.

Speaking at the opening of the August A.D. Term of Court for the 9th Judicial Circuit in Gbarnga, Regional Hub Manager Celeh Kesselly delivered a blunt and sobering assessment of the state of the justice system in Bong County. He decried the Ministry of Justice’s inability to address the growing backlog of cases, leaving scores of detainees languishing behind bars for months, sometimes years, without trial.

Kesselly painted a grim picture of overcrowded cells and strained resources at the Gbarnga Central Prison, where inmates awaiting trial now make up a significant portion of the prison population. “This is not just a numbers issue, it is a human rights issue,” Kesselly stressed, his voice echoing in the packed courtroom. “When justice is delayed, it is effectively denied, and the poor and powerless suffer the most.”

Citizens say the increase in pre-trial detainees stems from systemic challenges, including inadequate court sittings, prolonged police investigations, insufficient public defenders, and logistical constraints within the justice sector. Many of the detainees come from rural communities and lack the means to hire lawyers or pay for bail, trapping them in an endless cycle of detention.

Kesselly urged the government to take urgent action, including deploying more magistrates and judges, strengthening case management systems, and providing adequate funding to ensure court operations run efficiently. He also called for swift legislative and policy reforms aimed at protecting detainees’ rights and reducing unnecessary incarceration.

“This is about the credibility of our justice system,” he warned. “A nation that cannot protect the rights of its most vulnerable is a nation at risk of losing the trust of its people.”

The remarks drew murmurs of agreement from several local leaders and civil society representatives in attendance, many of whom have long advocated for reforms to Liberia’s justice delivery system.

As the August Term of Court gets underway, the plight of pre-trial detainees at the Gbarnga Central Prison stands as a stark reminder that justice delayed continues to be justice denied and without immediate action, the situation could spiral into a full-blown humanitarian crisis. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.