Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission Hears Public Testimony
By Naomi Schwar
Dakar
15 January 2008
Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has entered its final phase: public testimonies by victims of civil war and by those they accuse. Many Liberians say airing the crimes will help the country heal from the psychological wounds of war and instability. But others say Liberia should focus on moving forward and not look back. Naomi Schwarz has more from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.
Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created by the accord that ended the civil war in 2003. It has collected more than 20,000 written testimonies covering the period from 1979 when Samuel Doe seized power in a coup, to 2003 when a large force of U.N. peacekeepers arrived in the country. The testimonies tell of widespread rape, massacres, and children forced to be soldiers.
Now victims have begun testifying in public hearings.
James Makor of Liberia's non-governmental organization Save My Future says the public statements still contain surprises.
"One musician around here, I had never knew that he was a general, but during the public hearing we got to know that he was a general," said Makor. "So in that case now, most of his songs he had always won public sympathy that he was victimized, instead people now know that he was one of the guys that had a lot of power to himself."
Makor is referring to Michael David, known as Sundaygar Dearboy. Witnesses have accused David of rapes and beatings. One of Liberia's most popular stars, he sang the campaign song for Liberia's president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf when she ran for office in 2005.
Makor says it is good for Liberians to know the truth about what happened.
"It is necessary that we get to know some of the people, what they did. For us to have the past information, so we can know how to interact with them," added Makor.
But some Liberians say the information could be dangerous.
Lamii Kpargoi of Liberia's Media Watch says he feels it is too soon to stir up these wounds.
"There are a lot of people walking the streets in Liberia that committed heinous crimes that have never owned up to their mistakes. Hearing some of the testimonies that have come out over the past few days, it may well just make people become rowdy and try taking things off on these people, especially if they come out and they deny these things when everybody knows that they actually did them," said Kpargoi.
He says there is no statute of limitations on war crimes, so the issues can be addressed later.
"I think this TRC thing has come a little bit too soon. I think what Liberia needs presently is to get political and economic stability," he added. "Then when we are stable, then we can go after these people who have committed crimes and try to see how we can best forgive each other and move on."
The Commission will hear from victims first and then allow the accused to respond and apologize. When it finishes hearing testimony, the commission will give its recommendations to the government on how to use the information to foster reconciliation.
This is not enough for some Liberians.
"Crimes against humanity are not pardoned by amnesty or whatsoever form of saying sorry," said Boakai Jalerba, the secretary general of an organization that pushed for a war crimes tribunal, with power to prosecute. He says the country cannot move forward while people who committed atrocities remain free and, sometimes, hold powerful positions.
One man who will likely not face Liberia's TRC or prosecution in Liberia is former president Charles Taylor, whose attempt to overthrow the government in 1989 instigated the worst phase of violence.
Taylor is currently on trial for crimes against humanity in neighboring Sierra Leone's civil war, in which he is said to have participated in exchange for diamond money. The trial, in The Hague in the Netherlands, is being held by a special court for Sierra Leone.
Jalerba says Taylor should be extradited to Liberia and face charges there.
But Steve Marvie, acting chairman of the Youth Empowerment Program, a pro-democracy organization, says most Liberians are content to let the Sierra Leone special court handle that prosecution.
"We, Liberians, we are moving along with our lives, we are generally happy with our situation, and we do not think we want to turned back into our crisis days," said Marvie.
Media Watch's Kpargai says bringing Taylor back to Liberia could lead to greater instability. And Kpargai says, as a former head of state, Taylor benefits from amnesty under Liberian law for any crime committed after he became president.
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Lamii Kpargoi actually works for the Liberia Media Center (LMC) not Liberia's Media Watch as is stated in this account.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
110 journalists killed in 2007: WAN Congress Reports
Presenting the World Trends in the Newspaper Industry: An Update, the Chief Executive Officer of WAN, Mr. Timothy Balding said that contrary to persistent reports of the imminent demise of the newspaper, the industry was still in a state of vibrancy.
According to the report, the world newspaper industry experienced an overall growth of about 2.5 percent over the past year.
Performing the opening ceremony, King Carl XVI Gustaf of
He noted that WAN is the global guardian of press freedom and must continue in its advocacy work on behalf of the world’s media. He said that 
Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Gavin O’Reilly, President of the WAN extolled Sweden for its continued support to issues of free press, stating that the Nordic nation is an ideal example of press freedom around the world, although there was nowhere on earth that total press freedom existed.
Mr. O’Reilly went on to state that the picture of press freedom in the world since January 2007 remains of serious concern to WAN. He noted that there were some 110 journalists killed in the line of duty, more than 1000 arrested, while about 100 are still been held in detention.
For his part the Chairman of the Swedish Newspaper Association enjoined media practitioners to make global warming an issue of importance in the coming year.
Mr. Tomas Brunegard noted that the climate was in real danger if governments are not spurred into actions to avert the looming disaster.
During the opening event, Mr. George Brock, President of the World Editors Forum presented the 2008 Golden Pen of Freedom Award to jailed Chinese Journalist Li Changqing, the Deputy Director of Fuzgou Daily in
Neither Mr. Li nor his wife was able to attend the presentation ceremony because they were allegedly prevented by Chinese authorities and was thus deputized by fellow dissent Chinese journalist Gi Yu herself a Golden Pen Laureate in 2006.
Mr. Li was given the award for a story he broke on an outbreak of the deadly dengue fever disease in
In another development, the
The ICFJ program was held on the sidelines of the WAN and WEF activities and brought together over 50 participants from various media training institutions around the world.
The
Mr. Kpargoi indicated that the issues discussed on essential internet tools, the use of digital resources, models for sustainable successes, in the work of the media were extremely useful.
Meanwhile the ICFJ, as a means of ensuring the success of its mentor/mentee relationship has established a secure website through which the participants of the conference can continue their involvement and resource sharing over the next year.
In another development, the ICFJ has announced that
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Knight International Journalism Awards, given by the Knight International Journalism Fellowships program. The Fellowships are designed to create lasting, tangible improvements in the way journalism is practiced around the world. The program is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of the
BILL JARKLOH WRITES FROM PRISON
“Many people who know me, Bill K. Jarkloh, I guess, were surprised when they read on the FrontPageAfrica website, Heritage, The INQUIRER newspapers and heard on Star Radio that I was arrested and being detained at the Monrovia Central Prison on allegation of “Rape and Sodomy,” he said.
He said at all cost, the fact remains that “I am innocent, and I am being humiliated by a conspiracy masterminded and championed by Sorbor George”, a reporter of Star Radio in
Besides, he said, “the conspiracy against him is also being masterminded by officials of the court.
“Oh People of
“All I say in this epistle is that I am at present detained on the crime of RAPE/SODOMY because the court officials instructed my arrest and detention for a crime I know nothing about,” Jarkloh said in his letter.
He claimed the Magistrate was instructed by some at the helm of power to deny my fiancée Korpo Kortimai bail because he and enemies of progress want Korpo and I to be brought to the
He said the crux of the matter is that one Janjay, said to be a mother of eight-year-old “Tenesee” (Love) Samuels abandoned Love for more than one month and chased her out of their residence.
This minor was sleeping in street corners, video clubs and under market stalls. Love told Korpo, human right activist/personnel, how one
Thereafter, he said, a lady rescued her and turned her over to Korpo as people in the community usually do when an abandoned or abused child was found. Korpo Kortimai, as usual, took “Love” to Love’s “mother” Janjay but Janjay told Korpo that because she Janjay didn’t want Love to run from the house again, (Korpo) should keep the child and counsel her.
But looking at the poor health situation, Korpo had reported this minor to the Women and Children Protection Unit of the LNP (Central). “Love was processed at the police Headquarters and taken to a “Safe Home”.
A week later, Janjay started to grumble Korpo to see the “Safe Home”, apparently thinking that sending Love there is for pecuniary gain to Korpo and her household. And because there are already envious people in the community that Korpo and I live, they have now connived; saying that my charming spouse, Korpo, “kidnapped” Love while I raped and sodomized the little girl.
The police investigation regarding the abandonment and raping of Love was ignored for whatsoever interest to order the issuance of a writ of arrest against me for “SODOMY/RAPE” without a police charge sheet; at the same time, warning Attorney Doyen who is insisting on outcome of police investigation to keep off the matter. Instead, Justice Johnnie Lewis said he preferred Attorney Sam T. Solomon to use Janjay and my enemies to incarcerate me at the Monrovia Central Prison (
Presently, my fiancée Korpo Kortimai has since been released upon filing a bail while I am still being detained without being prosecuted on the charges of rape and sodomy brought against me.
My fiancée and I have been good to Love and her mother. Unfortunately, our kindness has turned into bad and we are being paid with false charges just to destroy our hard earned reputation and characters. But let me reiterate, I Am Innocent, I need a speedy trial, I should not be kept without trial.
To my professional colleagues in the media, I am appealing to kindly do me justice by trying to get my sides of the story, instead of publishing one-sided story. Please try to reach me at the Monrovia Central Prison or my fiancée Korpo Kortimai who is available for interviews on the subject at bar.
I have noticed from the recent publications on the internet, newspapers and radio stations, none of my professional colleagues made effort to get my side of the story. Please remember there are two sides to every story and kindly do me justice to get my version of the story.
Besides, I would appreciate if the media will go beyond sources and contact all parties involved in this case including the Police Women and Children Unit, the Save Home, Assistant Montserrado County Attorney Witness Doyen and his Senior County Attorney Samuel Jacobs.
To conclude, let Mr. Sorbor George, a reporter of Star Radio in
I’m innocent and that the Almighty God whom we all serve will reward Sorbor George and all those who are plotting against me. No condition is permanent, I fear nothing, and my consciences are much clear.
Can you imagine, on four occasions, Mr. George has issued a lawsuit against me? To get the actual story and details, I encourage my professional media colleagues and human right activists to kindly reach me at the Central Prison. I want to speak out.
I’m appealing to the Press Union of Liberia to kindly press for a speedily and fair trial. If I committed a crime, I should be fairly prosecuted and not to be kept in detention for a protracted period without justice being done. Let me have my days in court and face justice. I’m hungry for justice; I am demanding a speedy trial.
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Bill Jarkloh is a Liberian journalist who lives and works in Monrovia. He blogs at Panwhan.blogspot.com and billkjarkloh.wordpress.com
Thursday, February 14, 2008
My Journey to
By: Lamii Kpargoi
Mr. Peter Kahler who heads the WADR is a senior Liberian colleague. He goes out of his way to make every Liberian feel at home in
About two weeks before flying out of
So the very first thing that Bill and I did while awaiting our taxi from the
He came by to see us the next day. And the day following that he took us to a place called Just for You where there was a live band performing. The music was mostly local with a little mix of American and reggae. It was quite lively with a lot of people in attendance. This was our third night in
The next day we concluded the workshop. By
A few of us decided to visit
So on Sunday morning Bill (
It was a nice day out. We visited just about everywhere that we were allowed to on the island. We went to the slave houses – the little cells in which the slaves were kept. These are marked male, female, children, etc. The door of no return was a telling experience. Going through that same door, through which countless others passed centuries ago for torturous life in other parts of the world. One can just feel the anguish that those people might have felt.
We visited the quarters of the slave herders. We saw on display some of the tools – like guns – they used during their reign on the island. Several other artifacts are also on display from the slave era.
We rounded up by visiting the highest point on the island. This place overlooks the entire Goree. And at its very summit there is a huge artillery piece, presumably from the World War II era. It is in a state of disrepair.
We grabbed take away lunches on our way out of the island. We could not stay to eat since we did not want to run the risk of missing our return boat and having to stay another hour or two. For me personally, I had to get back to the hotel to watch the English Premiere League match between
We spend the rest of the day in our rooms; at this point there only a few of us conference delegates still remaining in the hotel. A lot of the others had returned home.
On Monday, my last day in
Pete took us (Bill, Alfred and I) out again, since that was my last day in town. We visited a place called A Chez Iba. They prepare nice roasted lamb and chicken meat, served with beer or whatever drink one would prefer. It was a nice night out.
We round things off that night by visiting the WADR office so that Pete could put me in contact with Enoh Ndri, the WADR correspondent in
We took leave of Pete and returned to the hotel. I had to sleep, pack and be at the airport by
It was
Instead of taking the shortest route to the airport, the driver opted to have gone the long way. When we finally arrived at the airport, he demanded that I pay him 4000CFA because the place is too far. I refused and asked a police officer to intervene. But the officer decided to side with the driver. They knew that it would be difficult for me to miss my flight over such foolishness. I had to end up paying him 3000CFA. But I made it clear to the police officer that that was not a good sign for his country.
Anyway I go into the airport and check-in for my flight without any further mishaps. We boarded by
Enoh was at the airport awaiting me. There were also a few of my Liberian compatriots who make it their business to “assist” travelers, especially Liberians coming through the airport.
Enoh and I got a taxi to my hotel in Koumassi, a suburb of
I spent the night and the next day which was a national holiday in commemoration of the Muslim celebration of Id ul Ada in Ivory Coast I got a taxi back to the airport in the company of Enoh. I met with Bill at the airport. He had stayed over in
We awaited our return flight. We checked in on the delayed Bellview flight for
_______________
Continued from a previous posting
Monday, February 4, 2008
Monitor Newspaper
Civil service built on “patronage culture’
-President Johnson Sirleaf
A two-day development workshop on Civil Service Reform Strategy has opened in
The President observed that the Service has historically been built on a strong public administration patronage culture, with a weak macro-economic policy formulation infrastructure, in an enabling working environment.
Ironically, the Liberian leader noted, the Service has, in recent years, been neglected by the very government it was meant to serve with capacity and morale been at its lowest ebb.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the opening session of World Bank/DFID sponsored-workshop was addressed by President Sirleaf who said the core mass of the public service must be reversed and maintained that the country can not make any meaningful progress in reconstructing political institutions, rehabilitating social and economic infrastructures, and meeting the millennium development goals, if the Civil Service is not reformed.
“The Civil Service, with its bureaucracy and technical skills and competencies, is the heart of government business. It is in this context, that the structure, policies, operations and orientation of the civil service should be reformed”, the President said.
The President described the development of a Civil Service Reform Strategy as the most essential ingredient in the process of reforms.
The opening session was also addressed by
At Tuesday’s plenary session, chaired by the President, presentations were made by the Director-General of the Civil Service Agency, Dr. C. William Allen, Finance Minister, Dr. Antoinette Sayeh, Planning Minister, Dr. Toga McIntosh, and LRDC National Coordinator, Natty B. Davies, among others.
The two-day workshop has brought together political leaders, civil servants, civil society, international partners and other stakeholders for a national consultation on the civil service. The workshop aims at identifying and agreeing on strategic priorities and policy options to achieve government vision to modernize and re-establish a well-functioning civil service in
Monitor Newspaper
Civil service built on “patronage culture’
-President Johnson Sirleaf
A two-day development workshop on Civil Service Reform Strategy has opened in
The President observed that the Service has historically been built on a strong public administration patronage culture, with a weak macro-economic policy formulation infrastructure, in an enabling working environment.
Ironically, the Liberian leader noted, the Service has, in recent years, been neglected by the very government it was meant to serve with capacity and morale been at its lowest ebb.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the opening session of World Bank/DFID sponsored-workshop was addressed by President Sirleaf who said the core mass of the public service must be reversed and maintained that the country can not make any meaningful progress in reconstructing political institutions, rehabilitating social and economic infrastructures, and meeting the millennium development goals, if the Civil Service is not reformed.
“The Civil Service, with its bureaucracy and technical skills and competencies, is the heart of government business. It is in this context, that the structure, policies, operations and orientation of the civil service should be reformed”, the President said.
The President described the development of a Civil Service Reform Strategy as the most essential ingredient in the process of reforms.
The opening session was also addressed by
At Tuesday’s plenary session, chaired by the President, presentations were made by the Director-General of the Civil Service Agency, Dr. C. William Allen, Finance Minister, Dr. Antoinette Sayeh, Planning Minister, Dr. Toga McIntosh, and LRDC National Coordinator, Natty B. Davies, among others.
The two-day workshop has brought together political leaders, civil servants, civil society, international partners and other stakeholders for a national consultation on the civil service. The workshop aims at identifying and agreeing on strategic priorities and policy options to achieve government vision to modernize and re-establish a well-functioning civil service in
Monitor Newspaper
Isaac Vaye killers identified
-widow insists on ‘justice’
The killers of the late University of Liberia (UL) lecturer and former Deputy Minister of Public Works for Technical services, Isaac Vaye, have been identified by his widow, Suzanna G. Vaye.
She said all indications and personal investigations pointed to the fact that her late husband was killed in cold blood upon the orders of former President Charles Taylor and his former Special Security Service Director (SSS) Lt. Gen. Benjamin Yeaten.
Appearing before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as part of the commission’s ongoing national hearings, Mrs. Vaye explained that her late husband and the late Deputy National Security Minister for Operations, John Yormie were together on June 16, when former president Taylor sent SSS officer Richard Flomo alias “Banana” to accompany Minister Yormie to Executive Mansion.
She said considering the fact Yormie and Vaye were together when the president sent for him (Yormie), her husband then decided to accompany him, “but that was the saddest mistake that never brought him Isaac back to us.”
The tough-spoken widow told the TRC that all along, she and her children were being assured by other close associates including former President Moses Blah, then Vice President under
According to her, other reports also suggested that her husband was alive and well in the hands of a former NPFL General Tiagan Wontee… that report was not verified.
She said after several inquiries from the appropriate authorities in Monrovia on the whereabouts of her husband, news started filtering into Monrovia that two prominent citizens of Nimba County were taken to Ganta on board SSS jeep with license plate 18, where General Yeaten was stationed directing the war between the government and the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, (LURD).
“Based on that information, according to the former Superintendent of Nimba County Harrison Karnwea, he tried to inquire as to those that were taking to Ganta and for what, but was harshly told not to meddle in national security issue,” Mrs. Vaye quoted Mr. Karwea as saying.
“However, after months of twisting and turning without any success, I was finally informed on July 4 by Karwea quoting former president Taylor that my husband
was dead.” She said Karnwea was accompanied to her Soul Clinic residence by former President Blah, her uncle Price Myers and four additional persons.
Mrs. Vaye, who later burst up in tears before the full bench of the commission asking for the killers of her husband to face justice, said at that point she only asked “who killed, where did they kill him and how was he killed, because we need to give him a proper burial.”
“The TRC is not a court, but I would prefer for the killer of my late husband to face justice, she concluded.
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