By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Leymah Gbowee, one of Liberia’s most celebrated peace activists, on Wednesday called on the country’s Legislature to pass a law making the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia a statutory body, thereby protecting it from the whims of a future president who…
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon and Anthony Stephens with New Narratives Summary: · Residents of Saye Town in Monrovia have destroyed a notorious drug den, accusing authorities of years of inaction against crime and addiction in their community. · The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency welcomed the raid, but locals remain distrustful, citing alleged collusion between some…
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives More than three quarters ofLiberians say the war crimes court, set in motion by President Joseph Boakai after his inauguration last year, will make accountability for war-related crimes possible according to the latest survey released this month by Afrobarometer, a pan-African research organization. The survey found…
As Liberia marks 21 years of peace, victims demand justice through war crimes courts. Former warlords resist, warning of instability, while international backers and activists call for accountability, healing, and reform….
Budget cuts halted trafficking prosecutions in Liberia, leading to case collapses and bail releases. Victims cite intimidation, raising fears of backsliding and renewed U.S. sanctions if reforms are not restored….
A report accuses Bridge International Academies of financial opacity and conflicts of interest in Liberia’s education system. Former officials’ involvement sparks outrage as stakeholders demand audits, reforms, and greater transparency….
Thirty years after apartheid, South Africa’s reconciliation process offers hard-earned lessons. Activists urge Liberia to pursue justice and reparations, balancing peace and accountability to heal wounds from its own brutal civil conflict….
Former rebel leader Thomas Nimely Yaya used the 21st Anniversary of Peace Celebrations on Friday to voice his opposition to the country’s nascent war and economics crimes courts claiming they threaten the country’s political stability….
The team designing Liberia’s courts have a range of former courts to learn from. The most obvious one is Sierra Leone’s Special Court – held in our neighboring country to try crimes that resulted as a spillover from our own conflict. …
Running a war crimes court is an expensive exercise no matter where it is held. From construction of court buildings and detention facilities to salaries of judges, lawyers and administrators, to security and witness protection, costs add up quickly….
In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly since coming to office eight months ago, President Joseph Boakai has called on the body to support Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts….
A whirl of speculation has clouded the work of the special presidential committee tasked with shortlisting candidates for the position of Executive Director of Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts of Liberia….
In a blow to victims and survivors of the brutal 1990 St. Peter’s Lutheran Church massacre in Liberia, the Ecowas Community Court of Justice has thrown out their case against the Liberian government….
Justice activists are adamant that justice for atrocities committed during Liberia’s civil conflicts since 1979 is essential to entrenching the rule of law and ending a sense of impunity that has thrived in the country. But how many people need to face justice for those benefits to be delivered?…
Lewis Brown, whose nomination last week as Liberia’s Ambassador to the United Nations was condemned by leading human rights organizations, has told his Senate confirmation hearing that he supports the country’s upcoming war and economics crimes courts….
More war crimes court advocates have joined the condemnation of President Joseph Boakai’s pick of Lewis Brown as Liberia’s ambassador to the United Nations….
It’s a mantra repeated by government officials, activists and the international community: Liberia’s victims and survivors must be at the heart of efforts to bring justice for crimes committed in the country’s long civil wars that ended in 2003. But now the office to establish the War and Economic Crimes Courts is finally taking shape, victims and survivors say they have been excluded from the process….
Lewis Brown, President Joseph Boakai’s controversial pick for Ambassador to the United Nations, said he is innocent of the economics crimes allegations leveled against him in the country’s 2009 Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. …
Human rights advocates and victims’ groups are angry over the death of Prince Johnson, the accused notorious warlord, who died suddenly in Paynesville early Thursday morning….
In a brief visit, Sarah Morgenthau, outgoing US President Joe Biden’s Special Representative for the Office of Commercial and Business Affairs, pressed the Liberian government to urgently improve its investment environment so the US-Liberia relationship can move more quickly to one based on investment by American companies rather than aid from the US taxpayer….
It’s been just one month on the job for Dr. Jallah Allen Barbu, as the country’s second head of Liberia’s Office for the War and Economics Crimes Court….
