The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia has intensified its campaign for the abolition of the death penalty, urging journalists to use their influence to build informed public support for ending capital punishment.
The call was made Tuesday in Monrovia during a two-day media training aimed at strengthening journalists' understanding of capital punishment and equipping them with advocacy tools to contribute meaningfully to the national debate.
The training brought together journalists, human rights advocates, government representatives and other stakeholders and is supported by the British Embassy in Liberia in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the Press Union of Liberia (PUL).
Speaking at the opening, Adama Dempster, Secretary General of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform, disclosed that an amendment seeking to abolish the death penalty has been drafted and submitted to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
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Dempster said the proposed amendment was developed through collaboration involving the Law Reform Commission, Liberia National Bar Association, Ministry of Justice, United Nations and other development partners.
He said the next stage will involve engagement with members of the National Legislature, where the proposed legal reform would be considered.
Dempster said journalists are critical to building public understanding and support for abolition. He said the training is intended to prepare selected journalists to become champions of the campaign by exposing them to international policies, legal instruments and lessons from countries that have abolished capital punishment.
Drawing on lessons from the World Congress on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Paris, Dempster argued that capital punishment has not been proven to reduce crime.
"Killing somebody cannot change society," he said, questioning whether executions necessarily make communities safer.
He also recalled Liberia's commitment during the United Nations Universal Periodic Review to work toward abolishing the death penalty and urged the Boakai administration to follow through.
Dempster pointed to neighboring Sierra Leone as an example of progress and argued that Liberia's position as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council makes the issue important to the country's international human rights standing.
Press Union of Liberia President Julius Kanubah said the media has a critical responsibility to ensure that the death penalty debate is informed by facts, human dignity and constitutional principles.
Kanubah noted that the issue has gained renewed attention following former House Speaker Bhofal Chambers' calls for persons convicted of drug trafficking to face the death penalty amid Liberia's fight against cocaine, kush and other dangerous substances.
He described journalists as watchdogs, educators and mobilizers who can keep the abolition debate alive through investigative reporting, editorials, talk shows and public education.
Kanubah urged journalists to humanize the debate by reporting on wrongful convictions, marginalized defendants and families affected by capital punishment, while monitoring government commitments and legislative proceedings.
The chairperson of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia, Lawrence Yealue said Liberia's constitutional protection of the right to life and its evolving human rights obligations increasingly support abolition.
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He argued that ending capital punishment would reduce the risk of irreversible judicial errors, promote rehabilitation and restorative justice, and strengthen Liberia's human rights standing.
British Ambassador to Liberia Paul Simister reaffirmed the United Kingdom's opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, describing the position as a matter of principle.
Simister stressed that strong institutions, an independent judiciary and respect for fundamental rights are essential to public confidence in the justice system.
He urged journalists to maintain professional standards when covering the emotionally charged debate.
Organizers said the training is expected to strengthen collaboration between civil society and the media and build sustained public and political support for abolishing the death penalty in Liberia.
