New Democrat (Monrovia)

Liberia: U.S. Human Rights Report 'Erroneous' - Pres. Sirleaf

Photo: allAfrica.com
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

The 2009 US State Department Human Rights Report on Liberia, concluding pervasive corruption at 'all levels" of the government, has again come under attack, with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf describing it as "erroneous".

The President, at a press conference Tuesday, did not point out the report's "erroneous" aspects, but she said she will personally write US Secretary Hilary Clinton expressing her disapproval of the report.

Following its release, the President expressed similar opinion, but later issued a statement welcoming the report.

The report touched on many aspects the government, including systematic corruption in the judiciary. Ir said "judges regularly take bribes", a statement that the President repeated recently when she addressed a conference on traditional justice.

But the President said she will send "a confidential document to Secretary Clinton.

"Let me not disclose the contents", she added, before it is received. But she promised to release the letter after it is sent.

She added, however: "The report was prepared by the Ministry of Justice. They cite out the inaccuracy. But the report has a lot of merit. So I am sending it forward," the president said.

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  • Hector
    Apr 22 2010, 10:38

    President Sirleaf Johnson, why are you unhappy with the U.S. Human Rights Report ? Isn't that true your government is corrupt at 'all levels"? Sending confidential document/letter to Secretary Hilary Clinton will not changed anything everyone knows the truth about your corrupt government.

    Have you ever seen a poor man or woman take a rich man or woman to court in Liberia and the poor man or woman win the case? Never because the rich man or woman will bribes the judges just to win. These are some of the factors of corruption and corruption comes in so many ways.

    If I were you President Sirleaf Johnson, I would accept the facts that your government is corrupt and don't even comments about it. President Sirleaf Johnson, once again its hurt so bad to see or hear the truth and I know you are so hurts for such a Human Right Report on Liberia. Good Looking U.S. Human Right on foreign research.

  • PrimaFacie
    Apr 24 2010, 13:19

    Hector: I hope the issue of it being difficult for a poor man to win a case against a rich man is only seen in Liberia. But maybe the case with "Little Angel" is not included, but at least Hans Williams and his wife's lawyer made an appeal for the case to be heard in the supreme court because they could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that they were not the murderer, even though they are financially equipped than Little Angel's parents.

    I think we Liberians should be appreciative for the Ellen J. Sirleaf's led government of being freed from sovereignity. Gone are those days, when government officials could commit astrocities with impunity. We all served as witnesses for the case with Bedell Fahn and the taxi driver, who was shot for no reason and didnt even hear that Mr. Fahn was charged with murder. This is just one of the many astrocities that occured few years ago, not to even mention Chuckie Taylor scenarios.

    But whatsoever the case is, it takes time for citizens to adapt to a new system, most especially when it comes to the situation with Liberia where we have fought a fourteen years civil war, making corruption and astrocities to be at the peak.

    My recommendation to you is, let we Liberians try to be steadfast and stay away from being "Instant Gratificated". Everything takes time. Madam Sirleaf is doing extremely well to lead people who are just from a civil war and minds have being premeditated to corruption. I see no need why Madam Sirleaf should not win the 2011 elections because she has done all what she promise and even went beyond, for which the infrastructure developments, creation of jobs etc can prove this claim.

    I dont think we Liberians are naive again to vote for people who are inexperience, corrupt and worst of all have soiled repitition.

InFocus

Liberia's Challenges Ahead of 2011 Elections

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President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Tuesday held her first press conference for the year, addressing a number of topical issues abound before 2011 polls. Read more »