Amnesty International Report 2003 - Liberia

Covering events from January - December 2002

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
Head of state and government: Charles G. Taylor
Death penalty: retentionist
International Criminal Court: signed

As conflict continued, large numbers of civilians were unlawfully killed and tortured by government forces and, to a lesser extent, by the armed opposition. Both sides forcibly recruited children. Despite UN sanctions, arms transfers continued. Several hundred thousand civilians became refugees or were internally displaced. A state of emergency resulted in increased repression of political opponents, journalists and human rights activists. Those responsible for human rights abuses enjoyed almost total impunity.

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Background

Armed conflict between government forces and the armed opposition Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) continued throughout 2002 in the north and west of Liberia. There was widespread loss of life, destruction of property and infrastructure and population displacement. Large numbers of people had no access to assistance and the humanitarian situation deteriorated dramatically. It was often difficult to verify information about abuses and it was sometimes unclear whether government forces or the LURD were responsible.

The conflict threatened the stability of neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone, which with Liberia form the Mano River Union. LURD forces operated from and were supported by Guinea, although this was denied by the Guinean government.

There were several initiatives by the international community to resolve the conflict. In February the heads of state of the three countries met in Morocco, but progress faltered. In November President Charles Taylor expressed willingness to open dialogue with the LURD. An International Contact Group on Liberia, coordinated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), met in December and encouraged early negotiations towards a solution, including a cease-fire, disarmament and respect for the rule of law and human rights.

President Taylor imposed a state of emergency from early February to September, claiming that the LURD threatened the capital, Monrovia. Political activity and public meetings were banned, and freedom of expression was curtailed.

In September a Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Liberia was appointed and the UN Security Council subsequently decided to elaborate a comprehensive strategy on Liberia. AI called for the UN Peace-building Support Office in Liberia (UNOL), whose mandate was extended to the end of 2003, to include a strong human rights component, including monitoring and reporting human rights abuses. The Security Council subsequently recommended an expanded role for UNOL, including enhancing and monitoring respect for human rights and providing regular reports on the human rights situation.

Violations by Liberian security forces

Human rights violations on a large scale were committed by the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), by two special security units – the Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU) and the Special Operation Division (SOD) – and by government-allied militia. Violations increased markedly after the imposition of the state of emergency, and the government did little or nothing to prevent them. It failed to bring perpetrators to justice.

Summary executions

Liberian security forces summarily executed civilians, including women and children, in areas affected by fighting. After driving LURD forces from an area, civilians suspected of supporting the LURD were beaten, tortured or killed. Several incidents were reported of boys and young men being abducted and then summarily executed when they refused to fight with government forces. Large numbers were rounded up in and around Monrovia and forced to fight after the imposition of the state of emergency.

• In January AFL soldiers shot dead a woman and wounded her four-year-old son at her home in Sawmill, near Tubmanburg, Bomi County.
• On 20 March, Henry Cooper, a member of an opposition political party in Bong County, was reportedly arrested by police; his bullet-ridden body was found later.
• In May, 11 people of Mandingo ethnic origin were killed in Gbaney and another eight in Gbeka, both close to Gbarnga, Bong County.
• During fighting in Sawmill in mid-April, men and boys who refused to fight with government forces were summarily executed. They included Fofoe Kanneh, a Mandingo.
• In May more than a dozen boys, the youngest 15, and men were forcibly recruited in the suburbs of Monrovia; four were later summarily executed for refusing to fight.

Arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment

Anyone suspected of being a "dissident" or associated with the LURD, in particular members of the Krahn and Mandingo ethnic groups, risked arbitrary arrest and detention. After the imposition of the state of emergency, security units undertook daily raids in and around Monrovia, including displaced people's camps, in search of LURD members. Hundreds of boys and young men were beaten and arrested. Some were released only after their families paid a bribe. Often those arrested were taken for questioning to the Executive Mansion, the Office of the Presidency, in Monrovia. Forced recruitment was also often accompanied by arbitrary detention and ill-treatment. The use of torture and ill-treatment was routine, and dozens of people reportedly died as a result.

In March the UN Special Rapporteur on torture reported that no institutions for the protection of human rights had been established and that there was no training in international human rights standards for special security units, including the ATU and SOD, known to torture detainees routinely.

• ATU and SOD forces arrested 45 young men at a displaced people's camp in Monrovia on 24 February. They were released the following day after payments by their families.
• In February in Tubmanburg, four men suspected of being "dissidents" were reportedly tortured by members of the ATU; one subsequently died. A surviving victim described his scrotum being beaten with a hammer.

Arrests and ill-treatment of suspected opponents continued after the lifting of the state of emergency in September.

• On 14 December Throble Suah, a journalist on The Inquirer newspaper, was stopped in a street in Monrovia and severely beaten by security forces, believed to be ATU members; he required urgent medical treatment.
• On 11 December, five members of opposition political parties were arrested in Grand Bassa County and taken to Monrovia where they remained held without charge before being released.
• In late December leading members of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, David Kiazolu and Christopher Toe, were arrested, apparently suspected of collaborating with the LURD.

Rape and other sexual violence

Women and girls in areas affected by fighting were frequently subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence.

• In February, a women aged 23 who had fled her home was gang-raped and severely beaten by security forces in Margibi County.
• As thousands of civilians fled fighting around Gbarnga in May, as many as 20 women reported that they had been raped by security forces. They included a 19-year-old raped by four government-allied militia. Another woman was abducted, held for two days and repeatedly raped by an ATU member.

Attacks on the human rights community

Those who condemned human rights violations were accused of spreading false information intended to "tarnish the image" of Liberia within the international community or of supporting the LURD. Attacks on human rights activists increased during the state of emergency. While some were held for short periods, others remained held at the end of 2002.

• Frances Johnson-Morris, former Chief Justice and head of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, was arrested in February after publicly questioning the constitutional legality of the state of emergency. She was detained briefly with male detainees before the Minister of Justice ordered her release without charge.
• Tiawan Gongloe, a human rights lawyer, was arrested in April and tortured in police custody, requiring hospital treatment for his injuries. He was initially prevented from leaving the country and was briefly detained again in May.
• Hassan Bility, a journalist with The Analyst newspaper, was arrested in June with two associates, following articles condemning human rights violations. Sheikh Sackor, Executive Director of Humanist Watch, was arrested the following month. Both were held incommunicado and tortured. The government accused them of belonging to the LURD and announced that they would be tried by a military court. No charges were brought against them. Although the government said in October that they would be released, Hassan Bility was held until December when he was handed over to US Embassy officials and flown out of the country. Sheikh Sackor remained held at the end of 2002.
• Aloysius Toe, a leading human rights activist, went into hiding in late October after police raided his home and briefly detained his wife and three other human rights activists. These arrests followed the launch of a campaign by the Liberia Coalition of Human Rights Defenders to secure the release of Hassan Bility and Sheikh Sackor. Aloysius Toe was arrested and charged with treason when he emerged from hiding. The charge was based solely on a widely available LURD document which he was alleged to have received by e-mail. He remained in the Central Prison, Monrovia.

Abuses by the armed opposition

Lack of independent information made it difficult to confirm reports of human rights abuses by the LURD. However, evidence indicated that abuses against civilians continued, although less widespread and systematic than those by government forces. Abuses included unlawful killings, torture, including rape, and the use of child combatants. Sierra Leonean civilians living near the border were among the victims as the LURD made incursions into Sierra Leone.

Early in 2002 there were isolated incidents of killings of suspected government collaborators, rape and forced recruitment. As offensives by government forces intensified, reports of abuses increased. Refugees fleeing to Guinea and internally displaced people were particularly at risk. Hundreds of boys and young men were forcibly recruited to fight and civilians, including women and children, were systematically used as forced labour. The LURD leadership reportedly made some efforts to ensure that combatants respected civilians' human rights.

• In January a LURD commander forced several men from Kolahun, Lofa County, to carry ammunition. Two were shot in the leg for not walking fast enough, one of whom later died.
• In August, three women fleeing to Guinea were abducted by LURD combatants between Kotolahun and Honyahun. They were forced to carry loads and then raped. Those responsible were subsequently beaten by their commanders.
• During an attack by the LURD on a refugee camp at Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County, in June, five nurses working with a Liberian medical relief organization were abducted and held until September.

Refugees and internally displaced people

The plight of refugees and internally displaced people deteriorated significantly. Fighting led to internal displacement of several hundred thousand Liberians in addition to an exodus of nearly 200,000 to neighbouring countries. Refugees were frequently turned away at borders. Liberian refugees were harassed by security forces, in particular in Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea.

Guinean security forces prevented Liberians from crossing the border, forcing them back into the hands of the LURD. Liberian refugees in Ghana were also at risk because of the presence of Liberian security forces and inadequate security at refugee camps.

Ivorian security forces extorted money and stole possessions as refugees crossed the border, and detained Liberian refugees of Mandingo and Krahn ethnic origin. The situation of some 72,000 registered Liberian refugees deteriorated dramatically as violence and insecurity gripped Côte d'Ivoire from September. More than 30,000 had returned to Liberia by the end of 2002. Some 20,000 Ivorian nationals also fled to Liberia.

By the end of 2002, there were an estimated 130,000 internally displaced people in established camps, while another 200,000 remained in conflict areas where humanitarian access was severely restricted. The attack by the LURD on Sinje refugee camp in June forced some 25,000 Sierra Leonean refugees and Liberian internally displaced people to flee.

In February a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children-UK revealed the risks of sexual abuse and exploitation faced by refugee and internally displaced children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from employees of national and international non-governmental organizations, UNHCR and other UN bodies, security forces and other refugees and internally displaced people. Although the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services carried out an investigation into these allegations and published a report in October, AI was concerned that its terms of reference were too limited and therefore unlikely to yield findings which reflected the true situation.

External military assistance

The Panel of Experts established by the UN Security Council to monitor compliance with UN sanctions imposed on Liberia in 2001, including a ban on arms transfers and rough diamond exports, published reports in April and October. These showed that the government had continued to procure arms. In May the Security Council extended sanctions for a further 12 months. The government protested, claiming that the ban on arms transfers prevented it from protecting the country against the armed opposition. The Panel of Experts, which specified that the ban also applied to the LURD, found that arms had reached the LURD through neighbouring countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The Panel of Experts' reports made explicit links between the Liberian timber industry and the arms trade. AI supported the Panel's recommendation that there should be a long-term financial audit of the timber industry by an international auditing firm.