Through a joint resolution on Thursday, July 4, 2024, the CSOs announced their support for Cllr Massaquoi as Executive Director of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court.
Monrovia, July 5, 2024: Dozens of civil society organizations (CSOs) have supported Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi as Executive Director of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court.
Under the auspices of the Liberia NGOs Network (LINNK) and the Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), the CSOs stated on Thursday, July 4, 2024, backing President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s decision appointing Cllr. Massaquoi.
In the joint resolution, the CSOs explained that 21 years have passed since the end of Liberia’s civil war, yet the country continues to grapple with significant national challenges.
It cited violent crime and human rights abuses, which pose grave threats to Liberia’s peace and stability under successive governments.
“While past administrations deserve criticism for failing to fulfill their patriotic, international, moral, and legal duties to establish a judicial framework addressing past abuses, President Joseph N. Boakai deserves commendation for demonstrating the political will to initiate crucial steps toward establishing a war and economic crimes court to prosecute alleged perpetrators,” the CSOs said.
Once fully implemented, they argued that the decision will not only address Liberia’s most urgent issue of impunity but also present an opportunity for progress in a nation where war victims continue to suffer under corrupt economic governance, partly perpetuated by former warlords.
“It is unfortunate that since the end of the civil war, Liberia’s democratic governance has been hindered by weak infrastructure and systemic institutional failures, despite the tragic loss of 250,000 innocent lives.”
The CSOs noted that at the core of this complex issue lies a longstanding reluctance to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.
They lamented that Liberia’s dark history of 14 years marked by brutality saw infamous warlords, many of whom have since entered politics, and their followers turning the nation into killing fields.
According to them, this has resulted in the senseless deaths of a quarter-million innocent citizens, predominantly women and children.
In response to these atrocities, the CSOs recalled that Liberia established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) not only to facilitate national reconciliation but also to ensure justice for war and economic crimes.
They continued that the TRC fulfilled its mandate by recommending the establishment of a special court to prosecute those responsible for these heinous acts.
Despite some notable progress, the CSOs noted that various international reports on Liberia paint a troubling picture of escalating violence, drug abuse, corruption, and acute economic disparity.
“Of even greater concern is the fact that a significant portion of Liberia’s youth is increasingly vulnerable to rising crime and drug abuse, threatening the stability and development of a crucial human resource sector vital for Liberia’s present and future,” the CSOs said.
They indicated that violent crime rates remain alarmingly high across the country, exacerbating Liberia’s challenge with impunity despite two decades of relative peace and stability.
They added that both local and international reports categorize violent crime, both petty and large-scale, as opportunistic, exacerbated by a weak judicial system and endemic poverty, particularly affecting the youth.
Furthermore, the CSOs stated that corruption has plagued all governments, past and present, accelerating Liberia’s moral decline into an abyss.
“The lack of successful prosecution of public officials and a firm political will to combat waste and abuse [has] worsened official corruption, fostering a culture of impunity.”
They claimed that some data has revealed that 70% of Liberia’s population lives in multidimensional poverty, compounded by rising youth unemployment, pervasive corruption, and a steep inflation rate.
“The lack of trust in the judiciary further increases the potential for instability amid the high costs of living,” they warned.
Given the emerging regional threat of military coups, they believe that Liberians must oppose unconstitutional and disruptive governance methods.
They suggested that practical measures must be taken to safeguard and strengthen Liberia’s democracy against external interference.
“The most viable steps include improving governance for our people, ensuring easy and equitable access to justice, enhancing public accountability without cherry-picking, fear, or favor, and guaranteeing freedom of speech for all,” the CSOs said.
“Whether baseless or justified, these fundamental inadequacies before 1989 were exploited by protagonists of the Liberian civil war.”
They said the current government must seize this opportunity provided by the irreversible ‘War and Economic Crimes Court’ mandate to lay a fresh foundation for building trust and confidence in Liberia’s judicial system.
