By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Hundreds of victims and survivors of Liberia’s civil wars, joined by justice advocates, protested Thursday outside the government office overseeing the establishment of a war crimes court, temporarily disrupting operations, before moving to the Capitol Building, where a senior lawmaker pledged to place the long-delayed legislation before…
War Crimes Trial Reporting
U.S. Embassy Officials Visit Leading War Crimes Investigators in Show of Support, Investigators Say
U.S. Embassy Officials Visit Leading War Crimes Investigators in Show of Support, Investigators Say reports that two U.S. Embassy officials visited the Global Justice and Research Project (GJRP), Liberia’s leading war crimes investigation organization, following death threats against one of its senior investigators. According to Hassan Bility, the group’s director, the visit was a show…
More Than 23 Years After Civil Wars, Survivors Begin Receiving Reparations Through Civil Society Initiative
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: JOHN F. KENNEDY HOSPITAL, Monrovia— For 36 years, Rufus Kartee has lived with a bullet wound he says he suffered at the hands of troops of the Armed Forces of Liberia at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in 1990, where one of Liberia’s deadliest wartime massacres took…
U.S. Embassy Officials Visit Leading War Crimes Investigators in Show of Support, Investigators Say
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Two officials from the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia visited the Global Justice and Research Project, Liberia’s leading war crimes investigation group, two weeks after it relocated its director of investigations following repeated death threats. The group’s director said the visit was an expression of American solidarity…
U.S. Trial of Former Army Commander Moses Wright, Linked to Lutheran Church Massacre, Postponed Until February
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The U.S. trial of Moses Wright, a former senior Liberian army commander accused of ordering and overseeing the 1990 St. Peter’s Lutheran Church massacre in which an estimated 600 men, women and children were killed, has been postponed again. Wright’s trial, previously scheduled for November in…
As Liberia Pushes for War Crimes Court, Witness Protection Agency Seeks Safe Houses, Stronger Safeguards for Victims and Witnesses in US$20 Million Plan
As Liberia moves closer to establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court, the country’s Witness Protection Agency is seeking more than US$20 million to build safe houses, strengthen security measures, and protect victims, witnesses, and whistleblowers. The initiative aims to ensure that those who come forward with critical testimony can do so safely and confidently…
Leading War Crimes Group Relocates Senior Investigator After Death Threats Ahead of U.S. Trial
Liberia’s leading war crimes investigation group has relocated a senior investigator abroad after receiving repeated death threats linked to his work on the case of former army commander Moses Wright, who is scheduled to face trial in the United States. The move has renewed concerns about the safety of investigators and witnesses as Liberia advances…
Swedish Ambassador Pledges Continued Support for Post-War Justice, Sexual and Reproductive Rights Among Other
As the Swedish government’s direct support for Liberia comes to a close this month, the Swedish ambassador has given an interview assuring the country that it will continue to support Liberia’s efforts to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court and other priority areas. It will just do it through international organizations such as the…
Witness Protection Agency Seeks to Build Trust as Push for War Crimes Court Gathers Momentum, but Funding and Capacity Remain Key Challenges
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: · Liberia’s Witness Protection Agency is stepping up operations as the country pushes to establish war and economic crimes and anti-corruption courts. · The Agency faces major challenges, including limited funding, a shortage of trained protection officers, no safe house of its own and the need to build…
Liberians Warn Lawmakers: Back War Crimes Court or Lose Our Votes
Nine in ten respondents in a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives survey support establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court and say they will not reelect lawmakers who fail to support it. Gloria Wleh reports from Margibi County, where survivors share differing views on justice, forgiveness and accountability for Liberia’s wartime crimes. This story was produced in…
Nimbaians Overwhelmingly Back War and Economic Crimes Court in a New Survey
By Jerome Saye with New Narratives Summary: SANNIQUELLIE, Nimba County—They are the second biggest voting bloc in the country. They’re also the former constituents of long-time senator, Prince Johnson who was the loudest opponent to a war and economic crimes court. He even threatened to take up arms if he were indicted. So the views…
Nimbians Overwhelmingly Back War and Economic Crimes Court Establishment in a Nation Wide New Narratives/Radio
A New Narratives survey finds overwhelming support in Nimba County for establishing Liberia’s proposed War and Economic Crimes Court, with nine in ten respondents backing the court and warning lawmakers that their position could influence how they vote in future elections. Survivors and residents say the court is essential for justice and accountability for crimes…
As Liberia Pushes for War Crimes Court, Witness Protection Agency Seeks Safe Houses, Stronger Safeguards for Victims and Witnesses in US$20 Million Plan
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Liberia’s Witness Protection Agency is proposing a five-year, US$20.54 million plan to build a nationwide system for protecting victims, witnesses and whistleblowers as the country moves toward establishing war crimes and anti-corruption courts that will significantly increase the number of witnesses and whistleblowers needing protection. The…
War Crimes Court Office Chief Urges Boakai to Recall Lawmakers for Special Session to Pass Court Bill Before U.N. General Assembly This Month
Liberia’s push for a War and Economic Crimes Court is gaining urgency as Jallah Barbu, head of the court’s establishment office, calls on President Joseph Boakai to recall lawmakers from their break and pass the court bill before the U.N. General Assembly. Survivors and advocates say justice for victims of Liberia’s civil wars can no…
Women Have Not Had Central Role in War Crimes Court Preparations; A New Project Wants to Change That
More than two decades after Liberian women helped bring an end to the country’s civil wars, many remain underrepresented in current efforts to establish a War and Economic Crimes Court. A new US$3 million initiative, the Gender Promotion Initiative 2.0, aims to strengthen women’s organizations and increase the participation of women and girls in peacebuilding,…
Grand Bassa Residents Overwhelmingly Call for War Crimes Court in New Survey
A new survey by New Narratives has found overwhelming support for a war and economic crimes court in Grand Bassa County, with all 100 people interviewed backing the establishment of the court and most saying they would not vote for lawmakers who oppose it. Through the voices of war survivors, victims’ families, activists, and ordinary…
A New Survey Warns Legislators: Liberians Overwhelmingly Want a War Crimes Court and They Won’t Vote for lawmakers Who Oppose it
Nine in every ten people questioned said they want the court established — and almost as many said they would not vote for lawmakers who fail to support it. The survey comes as bills to establish the court face strong opposition among lawmakers and the international community warns that court must meet international standards if…
Leading War Crimes Group Relocates Senior Investigator After Death Threats Ahead of U.S. Trial
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The head of Liberia’s leading war crimes investigation group said the organization has again relocated a senior investigator for his safety after he received repeated death threats connected to his work on the case of Moses Wright, the former Liberian army commander who is set to…
Women Have Not Had Central Role in War Crimes Court Preparations; A New Project Wants to Change That
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives More than two decades after Liberian women helped played a decisive role in bringing the country’s civil wars to an end, they have been far less visible in the renewed push to reckon with the wars’ atrocities committed during them. No woman was shortlisted to lead the…
Expert Warns of Security Risks if Legislature Fails to Approve War Crimes Court Before U.N. Security Council Presidency
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary Aaron Weah, the leading historian and transitional justice expert, has warned of security risks if the country fails to approve legislation establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court before it assumes the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in December. Despite years of advocacy,…
Expert Warns of Security Risks if Legislature Fails to Approve War Crimes Court Before U.N. Security Council Presidency
As Liberia moves closer to taking on a leadership role at the United Nations Security Council, experts are warning that delays in establishing a War and Economic Crimes Court could pose risks to the country’s stability and international credibility. Advocates argue that addressing unresolved civil war-era abuses is essential for justice, accountability, and lasting peace,…