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Liberia: Magistrates Operate Prisons in Bong
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The NEWS (Monrovia)
31 March 2008
Posted to the web 31 March 2008
Alloycious David
Monrovia
The NEWS has learnt that Magistrates and Justices of the Peace (JP) are operating detention cells in Bong County in violation of the rule of law.
UNMIL National Human Rights Officer assigned in Bong County David Dolo, in an exclusive interview said, some magistrates and JP(s) were running detention centers in several districts in Bong County due to the absence of police officers in those areas.
He said the Magistrates and JP(s) have on numerous occasions justified the detention of alleged criminals to the lack of police officers and depots in their areas.
"Are you telling us to allow alleged rapists and other criminals go free when the police who supposed to detain these criminals are not assigned here?" Mr. Dolo quoted some Magistrates and JP(s) as saying.
Dolo also disclosed that magistrates and JP(s) were 'abusing their functions' by executing the role of police officers in the county.
He noted that the running of detention facilities by magistrates and JPs were hampering the rule of law in the county.
The UNMIL National Human Rights officer said the law provides that all criminal cases and investigations are supposed to start from the police and forwarded to court by the police through a charge sheet, but the situation is different in Bong County.
He reiterated that the action of the magistrates and JPs is due to the absence of police officers in several districts of the county.
Dolo: "for instance, Sinoeyea District, which has a population of more than 40,000 persons, I have never seen a single police officer neither a depot."
He said when he informed Bong County Superintendent Ranney Jackson about the situation, he referred him to the Bong County Police Commander.
Dolo also disclosed that Bong County has a little over 200 police officers, most of whom are seen only in Gbarnga, the provincial seat of the County.
He said UNMIL is presently encouraging the citizens to plead with their children to join the new police force so that they would be assigned in the area.
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Dolo said while he's involved in educating people about the rule of law, interestingly, the lack of police officers in the districts was making his advocacy difficult.
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