Monrovia — The Chairperson of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) is accusing Dr. George Boley, the former leader of the Liberia Peace Council (LPC) rebel group, of killing his own mother during the civil war in Liberia.
"My mother was murdered by George Boley's LPC. Today, I don't know where she was buried. I can't locate her grave," claims Cllr. Dempster Brown. The civil war officially ended in 2003, with an estimated 250,000 people killed by various armed factions during the 14-year fratricidal conflict.
Cllr. Brown's attack on Boley comes after some major rebel leaders threatened to instigate violence against the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court in the country, aimed at investigating those involved in the war. Speaking on Thursday, March 7, during a press conference expressing his commission's support for the establishment of the court, Cllr. Brown vowed to mobilize Liberians to arrest any rebel leaders attempting to disrupt the process.
"Those who are threatening our lives and the lives of the Liberian people are making a very big mistake. Because one morning, you will hear that we have picked them up and taken them before the International Criminal Court for prosecution," Brown warned warlords against making threatening statements against Liberians.
"We will not allow any more lawlessness in this country. I will not sit down here and allow them to kill unarmed people anymore," noted the INCHR chair, pointing to his commission's decision to support the establishment of the courts. Brown emphasized that in the absence of justice for both victims and perpetrators, the country will not prosper.
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Touching on assertions by some warlords that they were granted amnesty during the presidency of the late Mose Blah, after the departure of former and jailed President Charles Taylor, Cllr. Brown argued that though they were granted amnesty, it cannot absolve those who committed genocide and crimes against humanity.
Supporting his argument, Cllr. Brown referred to a statement made by the then Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2000, recognizing amnesty as a gesture of peace and reconciliation at the end of a civil war or internal armed conflict. "The UN has consistently maintained the position that amnesty cannot be granted in respect of international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, or other serious violations of international humanitarian law," Brown said, emphasizing that Liberia is a signatory to these conventions and will respect them fully.
"We will ensure that justice is done for the victims of the civil war so that we can turn a new page in our country."
In 2010, Boley was detained in the US on reported immigration charges. The former leader of the Liberian Peace Council (LPC), who committed human rights abuses during the Liberian civil war in the 1990s, was deported to Liberia in March 2012 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which investigated the human rights allegations and facilitated the former warlord's removal from the United States. In the 2017 national election, Boley was elected to the House of Representatives in Liberia.
