Distribution of T-shirts among Lawmakers advocating for war and economic crimes court disrupts a special session of the House here on Tuesday.
By Bridgett Milton
Capitol Hill, Liberia, April 3, 2024 – The first day sitting of the Special Session of the House of Representatives Tuesday, April 2, 2024 was abruptly adjourned over distribution of T-shirts among lawmakers, promoting the establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia.
Members of the 55th Legislature were on April 1, 2024 recalled from their break for a special session that runs from April 1st – 30th, 2024, by President Joseph N. Boakai to discuss or act on matters of national emergency and concern.
But the business that they were called for came to a standstill when some lawmakers began distributing T-shirts to their colleagues in support of a war crimes court, with some chanting “War and Economic Crimes Court is a must!”
After Speaker J. Fonati Koffa could not calm the exuberance of his colleagues, he abruptly adjourned the session.
But the sudden adjournment did not go down well with Nimba county Representative Musa Bility, who thinks it was premature.
Representative Bility notes that they were called back by President Boakai for a special reason and he doesn’t know why the Speaker would adjourn the session abruptly without them acting on what they were called for.
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Montserrado County district#4 Representative, Michel Thomas, explains that issues of human rights and abuses are concerns already addressed by the Independent National Human Rights Commission, an offspring of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
He maintains that it is their duty, as lawmakers, to implement the TRC reports, and they have a department of investigation and monitoring to honor this obligation.
Thomas reveal the complaint office under this department has been closed to the public for several years, despite many human rights violations seen across the country therefore, he wants Commissioners of the INHRC and head of IMACRO make a presentation before the body.
His of Montserrado county district#10, Representative Yekeh Kolubah, a strong supporter of War and Economic Crimes Court, they will wear the T-shirts for 10 days consecutively until their colleagues from the senate act on a resolution signed by the House, supporting the establishment of the court.
Kolubah notes that there are people who committed heinous crimes in the country and they are moving around freely, underscoring that it is time they pay for what they have done.
Over 40 of the 73 members of the House of Representatives early February passed a resolution for the establishment of a World and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia.
The proposition coming from the TRC was presented to the 53rd and 54th Legislature on so many occasions but never forwarded to the Senate for action.
After reading of the resolution and Grand Bassa county district #5 Thomas Goshua moved that it be passed and sent to the Liberian Senate for concurrence.
This is didn’t go down well with some members of the ruling Unity Party, who did not sign the resolution, including Montserrado County district# 11 Representative Richard Koon and District# 7 Representative Emmanuel Dahn, who argued that it should not be passed now because they needed time to go and reach out to their people.
“It will be better you give us at least one week for us to go back to our people, who we represent to hear what they have to say on this matter”, Rep. Koon requested at the time.
Out of nine Representatives of Nimba County, where warlord-turned politician and evangelist, Senator Prince Johnson hails from, only one Representative, – Taa Wangba signed.
According to the resolution sponsored by Montserrado County district #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah and others, the civil wars from 1989 to 2003 resulted to deaths and destruction across Liberia, including displacement of nearly half of the population, characterized by horrific abuses, summary executions, massacres, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, mutilation, torture and forced conscription and use of child combatants.
The resolution partially reads:
“WHEREAS, Article XIII of the Liberian Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on August 18, 2003, provided for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to provide a forum that will address issues of impunity, as well as an opportunity for both victims and perpetrators of human rights violations to share their experiences in order to get a clear picture of the past to facilitate genuine healing and reconciliation; and, WHEREAS, the Liberian legislature enacted the Act to Establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (TRC ACT) in 2005, formally creating the TRC with a mandate to promote national peace, security, unity, and reconciliation by investigating gross human rights violations and violations of humanitarian law, sexual violations, economic crimes that occurred between January 1979 and October 2003.”
It added that the Liberian TRC submitted its final report to the Legislature on December 19, 2009, recommending the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Court of Liberia, an international domestic court with authority to prosecute individuals accused of gross human rights violations, serious humanitarian laws violations, and certain domestic crimes.
The bill is now before the Liberia Senate, awaiting further action.
President Boakai brought debate for the war and economic crimes court on the table during his inaugural speech in January, announcing the opening of a special office to sustain the debate to the end and bring about justice.
President Boakai has expressed support for the court and held a conference with Dr. Alan White, former chief investigator of the UN-backed Special Court of Sierra Leone regarding similar court for Liberia.
In a recent article posted on the official website of the Embassy of the United States near Monrovia, Ambassador Van Schaack, underscores the critical importance of citizens’ engagement in pursuing justice and healing the wounds of the past.
According to her, the decision to ultimately establish war and economic crimes court solely rests with the Liberian people, and the TRC’s findings have already set the stage for that.
“It is not my opinion that matters,” she stated, emphasizing the need for Liberians to take ownership of their history and request for the establishment of the court in order to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes.
Her call to action comes in response to recommendations laid out by Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which has advocated for the establishment of a war and economic crimes court. Editing by Jonathan Browne
