The Latest in Liberia

On December 1, Liberia’s TRC issued its final report.  It actually issued a “final” report in June as well – you can see our saturation coverage of the report here – but the report is really final now.

Among the mild changes from the “unedited” final report to this one is the addition of ten names to the “Most Notorious Perpetrators” list and five names to the economic crimes list.  Critically, the commission did not change its stance on President Johnson Sirleaf, who remains in the group recommended for a 30 year banning from public office in Liberia.  While she has expressed consistent public support for the commission and tried to publicly acknowledge her regrettable support for Charles Taylor, she has not formally apologized to the Liberian people and it is curious that nearly $500,000 in salaries and related funding has not been passed from the government to the TRC’s staff.  And, despite that public support, it was announced in mid-December that President Johnson Sirleaf will stand for reelection in 2011.

Other prominent Liberians named in the report were more consistent in their views, condemning the commission’s work from all angles.  Prince Johnson, one of the more infamous figures from the civil war, who still maintains political power in Liberia today, demanded that “the entire final report of the TRC be discarded.”  Johnson – about whom there seems to be more compelling evidence of gross human rights abuses in the public record than almost any other Liberian – boldly declared, “They say I raped. Whom did I rape? Where is the evidence to prove that I raped. I never raped anybody in my life. Has the TRC brought forth my accusers to face me?”  In the midst of his public posturing, he raised some potentially serious claims about the TRC Commissioner, John Stewart, who Johnson suggested was a member of the military group, the Black Beret, during the civil war.

Two components of the report that have received excellent reporting are the Historical Overview of the civil war and the call for the creation of a hybrid domestic/international court, similar to what was created in Bosnia, to address the worst crimes committed during the country’s civil war.  Human Rights Watch endorsed the latter recommendation and offered a series of suggestions for the design and implementation, centered on narrowing the list of prosecutorial targets, the court’s composition, defining crimes, and fair trial standards.