Mr. Lewis Brown appears before Liberia’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee for confirmation.
More war crimes court advocates have joined the condemnation of President Joseph Boakai’s choice of Lewis Brown, as Liberia’s ambassador to the United Nations. The growing opposition to the pick comes at an uncomfortable time for the president. A UN peace building team arrived in the country Liberia to meet with key officials about plans for the newly established Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts, the body which will design the courts and coordinate efforts to raise funding. The UN ambassador would lead efforts to persuade the UN and its international donors to fund the courts.
By Anthony Stephens with New Narratives
“Lewis Brown is no stranger to the civil war in Liberia,” said Mr. Adama Dempster, a prominent Liberian human rights advocate, joining the growing chorus of public opponents. “Serving as national security adviser to Charles Taylor during the war clearly outlined his role and advice leading to the many civilian casualties, coupled with the aspect of economic transactions he was involved with.”
Madam Tennen Tehoungue, a Liberian PhD candidate for universal jurisdiction at the Dublin City University in Ireland, echoed Mr. Dempster’s view.
“Nominating a person listed by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for economic crimes, and sanctioned by the UN, as the external face of the country’s foreign policy undermines the government’s stated commitment to addressing human rights abuses, war, and economic crimes,” said Madam Tehoungue, by WhatsApp. “Such an appointment risks signaling complicity or indifference to justice, erodes international credibility, and contradicts the principles of accountability (criminal) and reconciliation central to rebuilding trust domestically and globally.”
“It would be wise to have someone who is not entangled in the TRC Report,” said Aaron Weah, also a transitional justice scholar. “Is it difficult to find such a person? no! The appointment of Brown in that position raises a certain confusion about Boakai’s actual commitment to the court.”
At a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday Mr. Brown expressed support for the courts saying “because I know it will provide me an opportunity for exoneration.” But advocates insist the president erred by naming him to the top UN post. Mr. Brown was a key ally of Charles Taylor, the ex-Liberian president currently serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK for crimes committed in neighboring Sierra Leone. When Taylor, who headed the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), was elected president in 1997, Mr. Brown held several positions in his government, including managing director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining company, national security advisor and foreign minister. The 2009 TRC Report recommended Mr. Brown as one of 26 individuals who should face prosecution for his alleged economic crimes. Should he be confirmed, Mr. Brown will be Liberia’s chief diplomat and advocate at the UN, rallying support for the courts.
The government will rely heavily on the UN and the international community for support for the courts – with costs estimated at anywhere between $US10m and $100m. Opponents of Mr. Brown’s pick say the issue presents a real test to President Boakai’s pledge of ensuring accountability for past crimes and could ruin his legacy and the country’s international reputation.
Mr. Brown is seeking his second turn in the position, having served in the role during the administrations of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Weah, two ex-presidents who refused to support the establishment of a court. His latest nomination comes at a time Liberia’s accountability push has regained momentum after more than two decades for the courts to prosecute those accused of being chief architects of the chaos that left 250,000 dead and millions of dollars syphoned from the country.
The Foreign Relations Committee of the Liberian Senate, which held the confirmation hearing for Mr. Brown, will present its findings of the hearing to the plenary of the Senate. The plenary will then decide the fate of the nominee. Ahead of those decisions, advocates have called the president to rescind his decision.
As with other leading advocates, Mr. Adama Dempster wants President Boakai to recind his appoitment of Mr. Lewis Brown. Credit: Anthony Stephens/New Narratives.
The recall of Lewis Brown will save Liberia diplomatic face and image on the international stage,’ said Mr. Dempster. “His recall will save Liberia’s chances to getting a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.”
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia which had no say in the story’s content.
