Amnesty International Report 1999 - Liberia

LIBERIA

At least 34 people were charged with treason, which carries a possible death sentence. There were reports of "disappearances" and extrajudicial executions. No one was held accountable for past or current human rights violations.

Human rights defenders continued to be threatened and harassed because of their human rights work. President Charles G. Taylor publicly criticized the Justice and Peace Commission of Liberia in October when it called for an investigation into human rights abuses connected to renewed fighting in the capital, Monrovia, the previous month. The government claimed such calls damaged the country's image and denied reports that it had issued a warrant for the arrest of the Commission's director, Samuel Kofi Woods. Four staff members were summoned for questioning by senior government officials. In November President Taylor accused Liberian human rights organizations of telling lies in order to get more money from foreign donors.

The fighting in Monrovia was a sign of the continuing tension between former armed factions and of the lack of accountability of the security forces. In early September President Taylor, himself a former faction leader, announced that the government had uncovered a coup plot by former faction leaders. Fighting began on 18 September when government security forces entered the Camp Johnson Road district – a stronghold of another former faction leader, Roosevelt Johnson, and his supporters, most of whom are members of the Krahn ethnic group. The government claimed that the purpose of the intervention was to restore law and order and to evict people from homes they were occupying illegally. The Camp Johnson Road district had been insecure for some weeks and many people had fled fearing that they would become the victims of rape, theft, or other attacks by supporters of Roosevelt Johnson, who were acting with apparent impunity. The Minister of Justice stated that 52 people – two civilian women and 50 "combatants" loyal to Roosevelt Johnson – died during the intervention. The real figure was believed to be much higher and it seemed that some people may have been extrajudicially executed (see below).

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) handed over responsibility for restructuring the army, a significant component of the peace agreement, to President Taylor. In December a committee set up by the President to analyse the reforms, recommended a restructuring based on countrywide recruitment to guard against ethnic imbalance in the future. The Status of Forces Agreement between ECOMOG and Liberia was agreed by the Senate in October, but was then put before the House of Representatives. This lack of clarity persisted at the end of the year.

Restrictions were imposed on the media. In March attempts to introduce legislation which demanded high registration fees for the press were thwarted. However, the media continued to be subjected to temporary restrictions in reaction to reports which were critical of the government. For a short while Star Radio was stopped from broadcasting its material on the Internet. Its transmission frequency was also changed in an apparent effort to reduce its influence. The restrictions on Star Radio were introduced in October and appeared to be an attempt to stifle comment on the recent fighting and associated human rights abuses.

The National Human Rights Commission, set up in 1997, experienced difficulties. In July the Senate approved, with some reservations, the modified legislation setting up the Commission. An outstanding point of contention was the right to subpoena witnesses. The Senate also rejected two of the nominees, including Kromah Bryemah who had apparently been flogged by the Police Director, Joe Tate. It seemed that a report into the incident was given to President Taylor, but its findings were not made public. After his official rejection Kromah Bryemah fled the country because of threats. In December the Commission's Chairman, Hall Badio, publicly stated that the Commission was weak because the government had failed to complete its establishment.

In July a national conference was held in Monrovia. It discussed a broad range of issues, including human rights.

The assisted voluntary return of refugees from West African countries continued at a slow pace. The delays were mostly for practical reasons, but among some communities there was a reluctance to return before the security situation could be guaranteed. Particularly fearful were the Krahn people (see above) and Mandingoes who appeared to be targeted for attack in Lofa County where six of their mosques were reported to have been burned. Despite efforts to mediate between the conflicting groups, the situation in Lofa County remained tense. In October, President Taylor ordered thousands of displaced people living in Monrovia to leave for their own areas saying they were becoming dependent on outside assistance. Many, mostly Krahns, had reportedly been forcibly evicted from their shelters during the fighting in September and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that more than 4,000 Krahns had fled into Côte d'Ivoire in the weeks following the fighting.

At least 34 people were charged with treason, which carries a possible death sentence. At the end of the year, public hearings were continuing in the cases of 14 civilians accused of treason; five others became state witnesses. Another group of about 20 people was due to be tried by a Court Martial Board. However, the hearings were adjourned in December and the Board was still awaiting further instructions from the Ministry of Defence at the end of the year.

There were several reported "disappearances". In July Nowah Flomo, a market trader, was abducted. Several members of the Special Security Service were arrested in connection with the abduction, but later released. A police investigation was reportedly carried out after public pressure, but by the end of the year no one had been brought to justice for her "disappearance". Several members of the Krahn community were also feared to have "disappeared". After the fighting in September, the Minister of Justice issued a warning to the security forces not to arrest people and keep them in illegal detention centres. This followed widespread reports that the security forces were arbitrarily arresting people who were then "disappearing".

It appeared that some of those who died during the fighting in September may have been extrajudicially executed. Some of the bodies retrieved reportedly had their hands tied behind their backs and showed evidence of bullet wounds. It was also reported that others died when members of the security forces opened fire in one of two churches in the Camp Johnson Road area where people had sought refuge. Other victims were dragged out of ambulances despite appeals by the health personnel that they be allowed to receive the urgent medical attention they needed. It was difficult to estimate the number of people who may have been extrajudicially executed as the authorities refused to investigate alleged mass graves. By the end of the year no investigation had been held to establish how people died and who was responsible.

Others may have been extrajudicially executed in custody. In October a government spokesperson announced that 11 people had been killed on 22 September in what he described as a "shoot-out" between government soldiers and dissident troops trying to release their supporters from custody at the Post Stockade in Monrovia's Barclay Training Centre. The delay in making public this information and the refusal to return the bodies to the families, raised concerns that the 11 may have been extrajudicially executed.

In February the trial began of members of the security forces suspected of extrajudicially executing Samuel Dokie, a former minister and National Assembly official, and three of his relatives in 1997 (see Amnesty International Report 1998). Two members of the Special Security Services, who were the last people to be seen with the four victims, were charged with the murders. Three other officers who had been arrested were discharged and served as state witnesses. However, the two officers were acquitted as they claimed the four detainees had been handed over to the Regional Commander of the Special Security Services. A warrant was issued for the arrest of five other people, including the Regional Commander, who were believed to be in neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire.

In October Amnesty International publicly appealed to the government to investigate allegations of extrajudicial executions, "disappearances" and arbitrary arrests in the context of the fighting in September. Amnesty International continued to call on the government to respect the right of human rights defenders and the media to continue their work without interference.