— Cllr. Barbu assures Liberians
The Executive Director of the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court has assured Liberians that the courts would be established under Joseph Boakai’s administration.
“As a country and Institution, we still have a lot to do. This court will be established, and prosecution will be done before the end of President Joseph Boakai’s administration,” Cllr. Jallah Barbu believes.
Barbu said the court would be a reality only if everyone else sees it as a Liberian owned initiative.
“We can’t run this office without the involvement of major stakeholders, specifically, the media and civil society organizations,” Barbu noted.
He gave the assurance during a meeting with media professionals, and the unveiling of the institution website, that was built for Information sharing to the public.
“No one should be excluded from this process, because every Liberian is needed for the establishment of such a critical Court in the nation’s history,” Barbu maintained.
It can be recalled that President Boakai issued an executive order establishing the office of a war crimes court.
Many welcomed the move, which they said was long overdue. However, others are concerned it could reopen old wounds and raise tensions after compromises were made to secure peace.
According to Barbu, the Court is a Liberia-led process, and they have Liberians in other countries, who are fully supportive of seeing this Court come to light.
Dispelling rumours that the court is established for a particular individual, Barbu said: “This court is not about any other individual, but it’s about accountability for victims and people should stop thinking that it’s about certain individuals.”
Some of those who were victimized during the war are still alive, he said. “They would want to get justice and it’s only the establishment of the Court, can give them justice and, it will also set free some of the accused,” Barbu noted.
Cllr. Barbu however said a greater spectrum of the Liberian society expressed their support to the establishment of the court.
“Multinational and local organizations, including donor countries, the Independent National Human Rights Commission, Civil society organizations are supporting the Court’s establishment,” Barbu noted.
Barbu disclosed that in January, he received a high-power delegation with whom held discussions about the court.
“With the involvement of these multi-stakeholders and their collaboration, there should be a War Crimes Court and an Anti-Corruption Court, before the end of the administration of President Joseph Boakai,” Barbu emphasized.
He said he informed the delegation that the Office is working with the Liberia National Bar Association, and the Law Reform Commission, to clear out legal glitches that could hamper the establishment of a hybrid court.
Barbu meanwhile described the visit of the delegation as a “significant milestone” in Liberia’s ongoing journey toward justice, accountability, and reconciliation.
He said, to engage members of the delegation further reaffirming the Office’s dedication to addressing the scar of war and economic crimes in a transparent, inclusive, and constructive manner and, at the same time, upholding international standards of justice.
The Office was established to make major strides toward ensuring justice for serious crimes committed during the fourteen-year war in Liberia.
The devastating civil conflict, which lasted from 1990 until 2003, was characterized by brutal human rights abuses committed by all warring factions.
