Summary PAYNESVILLE CITY, Montserrado County—Jallah Barbu, executive director of the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court, has urged President Joseph Boakai to exercise his constitutional power by recalling lawmakers from their annual constituency break to act on legislation establishing the long-promised court. Speaking Saturday at a Paynesville hotel during the 17th…
War Crimes Trial Reporting
A New Survey Warns Legislators: Liberians Overwhelmingly Want a War Crimes Court and They Won’t Vote for Lawmakers Who Oppose It
“The war took away my childhood and left wounds that I still carry in my heart. I saw families separated, homes destroyed, and people running for their lives. Some of us still wake up remembering the sounds of gunfire and the faces of people we never saw again. That is why I want to see…
Proposed War Crimes Court Has Some Surprising Allies: Warlords
Joshua Blahyi, once feared as “General Butt Naked,” confessed to killing thousands during the civil war and now insists that only a war crimes court can free him and his family from the burden of his past. He is joined by other former fighters like Victoria Zeh, who was forced into combat as a teenager…
23 Years Into Peace, Victims Celebrate Progress but Say Justice Remains Unfinished
Twenty‑three years after Liberia’s hard‑won peace, survivors celebrate progress but remind us that justice is still unfinished. This powerful piece shows how the wounds of war linger even as the nation rebuilds. Anthony Stephens reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: Liberia: 23 Years Into Peace, Victims…
A New Survey Warns Legislators: Liberians Overwhelmingly Want a War Crimes Court and They Won’t Vote for Lawmakers Who Oppose It
By Eric Opa Doue, chief county correspondent with New Narratives Summary: BOLA, Bomi County– Kumba Thomas returns home from a long day at her farm. Around her, life in the community continues at its ordinary pace, but ghosts follow Thomas, weighing down every step of her day. Thomas says she was a new mother when fighting reached…
23 Years Into Peace, Victims Celebrate Progress but Say Justice Remains Unfinished
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: SOUL CLINIC, Montserrado County — Twenty-three years after Liberia’s warring factions signed an agreement ending more than a decade of civil wars, survivors and peace advocates gathered at the site of a wartime massacre to celebrate the country’s sustained peace — and warn that reconciliation remains incomplete without…
Proposed War Crimes Court Has Some Surprising Allies — Warlords
Liberia’s war and economics crimes court has won some surprising allies: former warlords. Many who were accused of atrocities during the country’s civil wars are now calling for their day in court.They say only a trial can bring justice, closure, or clear their names.Gloria Wleh reports in this collaboration with OkFm and our network of…
Liberia’s Army Formally Apologizes for War-Era Crimes as Lutheran Church Massacre Survivors Demand Legislators Pass Bill to Establish War Crimes Court
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: SINKOR, Monrovia -Victims and survivors of the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church massacre, one of the bloodiest atrocities of Liberia’s 14-year civil conflict, had expected that by the time of their 36th commemoration, the court to try those accused of war crimes would be preparing to get…
Ex-President Sirleaf Backs Specialized Anti-Corruption Court, Urges Boakai to Address “the Several Scandals That Plague the Society”
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s and Africa’s first democratically elected female president, on Wednesday urged President Joseph Boakai to intensify the fight against corruption, calling on him to address what she described as “the several scandals that plague the society” while backing the creation of a Specialized National…
Senate Begins Consultations on Competing War Crimes Court Bills; Advocates Hope Outstanding Issues Can Be Resolved Before Public Hearings
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Liberia’s Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions this week began consultations on six competing bills to establish a war and economic crimes court and a national anti-corruption court, the first step in an effort to harmonize the legislation before public hearings expected to…
Dispute Between War Crimes Court Office and Justice Minister Spills Into Public View Casting Cloud Over Court
A dispute between the head of the office of Liberia’s war and economics crimes court and senior government officials – including the Justice Minister – has spilled into public view, clouding progress towards Liberia’s efforts to prosecute those most responsible for war crimes committed in the country. In this collaboration with New Narratives, senior justice…
Liberia’s War Crimes Push Revives as Boakai Receives Draft Laws After Period of Doubt
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Wednesday received draft bills for a proposed war and economic crimes court and a national anti-corruption court, barely four days after renewing the mandate of the Office tasked with establishing the tribunals. Boakai had ordered it to work immediately with the Legislature to secure passage of the measures within 90…
Liberia’s War Crimes Push Revives as Boakai Receives Draft Laws After Period of Doubt
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Wednesday received draft bills for a proposed war and economic crimes court and a national anti-corruption court, barely four days after renewing the mandate of the Office tasked with establishing the tribunals. Boakai had ordered it to work immediately with the Legislature to secure passage…
Peace Prize in Hand, Boakai Gives Legislature 90 Days to Make War Crimes Court Law
Summary: By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives President Joseph Boakai returned from the United States on the weekend with a peace prize in hand and a pointed message for his own government: the War and Economic Crimes Court is happening, and it is happening now. Renewing the mandate of the Office established to create…
Dispute Deepens between War Crimes Court Office Chief and Justice Minister Casting Cloud Over Progress
Liberia’s push for justice is at risk: a public feud between War Crimes Court Office chief Jallah Barbu and Justice Minister Oswald Tweh has exposed funding delays and political resistance that threaten to stall the creation of war crimes and anti-corruption courts. As survivors demand accountability and activists warn of sabotage, the dispute casts doubt…
Gambia Begins Paying Reparations to Victims of Jammeh-Era Crimes
The Gambia has begun paying reparations to victims of crimes committed during the violent 22-year regime of former president Yahya Jammeh, which ended in 2017. The country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission recommended that more than 1,000 victims receive 237 million dalasi (about $3.7 million) for abuses that left around 250 people dead and thousands…
Gambia Begins Paying Reparations to Victims of Jammeh-Era Crimes
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: The Gambia has begun paying reparations to victims of crimes committed during the violent 22-year regime of former president Yahya Jammeh that ended in 2017. The country’s 2021 Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission report recommended that more than 1,000 victims be paid 237 million dalasi…
Belgian Court Orders War Crimes Trial for Martina Johnson, a Key Ally of Warlord-Turned President Charles Taylor, After Decade-Long Investigation
A Belgian court has ordered a former commander in Liberia’s civil war to stand trial for allegedwar crimes committed more than three decades ago. The suspect is Martina Johnson, a key ally of former Liberian warlord-turned-president CharlesTaylor. Prosecutors say she took part in killings and mutilations during one of the war’s most violentoffensives. New Narratives’…
Belgian Court Orders War Crimes Trial for Martina Johnson, a Key Ally of Warlord-Turned President Charles Taylor, After Decade-Long Investigation
After more than 15 years of investigation, a Belgian appeals court has ruled that Martina Johnson — one of the most powerful commanders in Charles Taylor’s rebel movement — must finally stand trial for alleged atrocities committed during Liberia’s first civil war. Johnson is accused of leading brutal attacks during Operation Octopus, a 1992 assault…
Belgian Court Orders War Crimes Trial for Martina Johnson, a Key Ally of Warlord-Turned President Charles Taylor, After Decade-Long Investigation
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Summary: A high court in Belgum ruled on Thursday that Martina Johnson, one of the most powerful women of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front for Liberia, should stand trial for crimes she’s accused of committing during Liberia’s first civil war between 1989 and 1996. The decision by…
Defense Lawyers Claim Statute of Limitations Means Rebel Cannot be Tried For 1993 War Crimes
Defense lawyers representing former Liberian rebel commander, Kunti Kamara, are claiming that the statute of limitations means Kamara cannot be tried for 1993 War Crimes. According to them, it has been more than ten years from the time the crimes for which Kamara is accused were committed in Liberia, arguing, that it should be heard…