6 July 2009
document
Nearly three and half years ago, we embarked upon a journey on behalf of the people of Liberia with a simple mission to explain how Liberia became what it is today and to advance recommendations to avert a repetition of the past and lay the foundation for sustainable national peace, unity, security and reconciliation.
Considering the complexity of the Liberian conflict, the intractable nature of our socio-cultural interactions, the fluid political and fragile security environment, we had no illusion of the task at hand and, embraced the challenge as a national call to duty; a duty we committed ourselves to accomplishing without fear or favor.
Today, we have done just that! With gratitude to the Almighty God, the Merciful Allah and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are both proud and honored to present our report to the people of Liberia, the Government of Liberia, the President of Liberia and the International Community who are "moral guarantors" of the Liberian peace process.
This report is made against the background of rising expectations, fears and anxiety. The vast majority of us who are victims or survivals of the massive wave of atrocities induced by the conflict, expect that all the recommendations contained in this report will be implemented and reparations in the forms of compensation, policy and institutional reforms, specialized services, restitution or financial relief, will address all our social, economic, cultural, civic and political rights issues, ensure accountability, undermine impunity and foster national healing and reconciliation.
The few of us who commanded the forces of arms, financed, resourced and provided political and ideological guidance to several warring factions, we fear alienation, prosecutions and other forms of public sanctions which may undermine our current socio-economic and political stature acquired during the conflict period. Though this latter group of us equally desire national healing and reconciliation, it should be accomplished without any cost to our current standing and prestige.
Bygones must be bygones. Having no regard for the rule of law, we ignored the TRC Process and when we opted to cooperate and appear before the Commission, we deliberately lied and failed to speak truthfully about the scale of our participation and deeds as a show of remorse and contrition which acknowledges the pains and sufferings of victims and triggers the national healing and reconciliation we profess to desire.
A true transitional justice process, as the TRC of Liberia, is never a perfect human endeavor; and will not satisfy all segments of our society. It is equally true that the TRC may never meet all the expectations or allay all the fears of contending interests it naturally arouses. Expectations, fears and anxieties, justifiably so, are products of the TRC process and not its outcome. The process is what justifies or legitimizes the product or the outcomes.
The outcome in this report is the product of deliberate planning and engagement with all segments of our society centering on all 15 counties of Liberia and the Diaspora. Capturing over 22,000 written statements, several dozens of personal interviews and over 500 hundred live public testimonies of witnesses including actors, perpetrators, and direct victims; a national regional consultation with county stakeholders and a national conference on reconciliation and the way forward provided the Commission a national perspective of the conflict, its causes, trends, impacts and the vision and aspirations of the people of Liberia for a better future.
The Commission incorporated desk research, media publications and human rights reports of very prominent international and local human rights institutions into its work. So guided and informed, the Commission is well poised to make this report and draw the conclusions and make the recommendations contained in this report which in four volumes documents the comprehensive work of the Commission.
We extend appreciation to all, locally and internationally, who supported and worked with the Commission to ensure it succeeds at its mandate. We mention the Government of Her Excellency, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the National Legislature including the House Standing committee on Peace and Reconciliation, The International Contact Group on Liberia (ICGL), Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and the hundreds of volunteers across the USA, the media and dozens of civil society institutions, who were very interested and supportive of the process and lastly but not the least, the people of Liberia everywhere, not only for their support but most importantly for their abiding faith and confidence in the process and our ability to successfully navigate and pilot suavely through the many turbulences we encountered along the way.
We call on all to view this report and use it as a tool, blueprint and foundation for carving a better, brighter and more secured future for posterity. The purpose of our work was not necessarily to please anyone but to objectively and independently execute the mandates of the TRC realistically and objectively in patriotic service to the nation in unraveling the truth of our national nightmare.
This report is our roadmap to liberation and lasting peace which means that reconciliation in Liberia is never again an elusive goal. It is both a possibility and a reality we must achieve by opening our hearts and accepting the realities and consequences of our national existence and move forward.
This report is a contribution to that process and it is our prayers that all Liberians will see it that way and work for the full implementation of the recommendations without fear or favor or respect for any man. When we do this, the love of liberty â-šwhich brought us hereâ-› will â-šbring us togetherâ-› under God's Command so that this sweet and glorious land of liberty will forever be ours.
Jerome J Verdier, Sr. (Cllr) - Chairman
DISSENTING/REPORT OF CLLR. PEARL BROWN BULL COMMISSIONER, TO THE FINAL REPORT VOLUME 1, CONSOLIDATED FINAL REPORT VOLUME 11 OF THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF LIBERIA JUNE 30, 2009.
I did not sign the Consolidated FINAL REPORT, Volume II of THE Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia, and dissent to said Reports for the following factual, legal and prudent reasons to wit;
1.0 The TRC Decisions on prosecution and lustration emanating from the TRC Public Hearings; The Advocates for Human Rights (USA.) Diaspora Report; The National Conference on Reconciliation, convened by the TRC, and Co-Chaired by the Governance Reform Commission and "additional research findings" from others, are not in consonance with
The 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia,
The Act to Establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia,
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (TRC) RULES and Procedures REVISED April 2007.
Act To Grant Immunity From Both Civil;
AND CRIMINAL PRECEEDINGS AGAINST ALL PERSONS WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA FROM ACTS OR CRIMES COMMITTED DURING THE CIVIL WAR FROM DECEMBER 1989 TO AUGUST 2003. Published Authority, August 8, 2003
Supreme Court of Liberia, Decision, Bull Versus The TRUTH And Reconciliation Commission decided January 30, 2009.
The Results from Beneficent Technology (Benetech) Database an American hired company in the United States of America who worked with the TRC Commission
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Liberia and The Liberians United For Reconciliation And Democracy (LURD), The Movement For Democracy In Liberia (MODEL) and Political Parties,, Accra, Ghana, 18th August 2003.
I cannot concur with my Fellow Commissioners that "Prosecution in a Court of Competent Jurisdiction and other forms of Public sanction will foster genuine reconciliation, combat impunity to promote justice, peace and security" for any person or persons whether military or civilian who committed crimes or Acts within the period covered 1980- to the adoption of the 1986 Constitution.
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The Liberian TRC was flawed from the beginning. Anyone trying to initiate reconciliation after the civil war must begin at the source of the conflict which was the coup that toppled THE FIRST REPUBLIC. I don't think Liberians will ever be able to come to terms with the atrocities of the past until they deal with the Doe Coup of 1980. Was it justified or not. Samuel K. Doe was elected President of THE SECOND REPUBLIC in what many in the international community called a rigged election. Afterward Doe would turn against his own people and commit genocide against them… [Read Full Text]
Well done Mr. Commissioner and thanks to the bodies that finacied your project. However i would like to import my strong disagreement with you on the prosecution recommendation of 'persons bearing the most responsibnility 'in the conflict . Without a speck of doubt ,Yumi Johnson ,Taylor Kromah ,and the rest ofthe varied factional leaders should be brought to book to account for their roles ,but from the Sierra leonean experience ,the room for justice to take a course is more than small .And further ,the International criminal justice system dosen't actually dispense justice rather its focal element in… [Read Full Text]
Woh! what can one say.Elen is not Better then Taylor. I think taylor is better, cuz taylor known for talking the truth. Elen never thought the trc would have given such a report.She sold taylor for good image, today we are selling her for the same good image. We don't want anyone that took part in the war to rule us........... when taylor is finish given his part of the story, Elen herself will step down.
It saddened my heart to hear comments like Ellen isno different from Taylor. If we were to go on listing the mountainous differences that exists between Madam Ellen and Mr. Taylor, the website could be jam for some time. So we will not go in to that. Madam Sirleaf with the respect of the international community has been able restore Liberia's image from one of a pariah state to respected nation in the comity of nations. She has been able to raised the country's budget from a mere $80 million US to almost $400 million in the space of… [Read Full Text]
what are you talking about here? How do you think that Taylor was going to do those things you talked about? All of those people from the international community that are helping today, are the same people who she got help from to damage taylor's image out there.But you and i know that Elen was the one who mobilize Taylor and the others by the help of some us investors, They even got him out of jail. The 1985 coup was her idea, 1989 war was her idea. Taylor was just the foot soldier. But hold your peace ontil… [Read Full Text]
Liberians need to sit back and evaluate what the TRC report findings means for our young democracy. In my opinion, the TRC process should've been untaken during the Bryant transitional administration and completed before heading into the last elections. Coming out with a prosecutorial slant at this time is taking the country back to acrimony and strife. Is the result worth risking the fragile peaceful democracy that the country now clings onto? Is it worth diverting so much international assistance that should continue going toward development and poverty reduction? Is placing the country in several lengthy periods of… [Read Full Text]
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