Ocean County Leader

On the heels of dramatic progress to help redress the wounds of civil war in Liberia, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith chaired a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill examining the next steps toward accountability for those responsible for human rights violations suffered by hundreds of thousands of Liberians in recent decades.

Smith’s hearing comes just weeks after Liberian President Boakai signed an Executive Order to establish the Office of a War and Economic Crimes Court, which is empowered to “investigate, design, and prescribe the methodology, mechanisms, and processes for the establishment of a Special War Crimes Court,” as well as a National Anti-Corruption Court.

“The people of Liberia—who suffered brutal human rights violations and economic crimes for so many years—deserve nothing less than justice,” said Rep. Smith, Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. He noted the United States’ special relationship with Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves.

The proposed court aims to bring to justice individuals who committed human rights abuses during Liberia’s civil wars between 1989 and 2003. During this period, 250,000 Liberians died from fighting, and thousands more were conscripted as child soldiers, raped, or suffered other traumatic experiences.

“The United States must help ensure that the War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia is credible, completely transparent, and rigorously pursues the perpetrators of these heinous human rights violations,” said Smith. “We must ensure there is no coverup or hidden agendas.”

Smith’s hearing included testimony from expert witnesses such as Dr. Alan White, Co-Executive Director for the Advocacy Foundation for Human Rights; Yahsyndi Martin-Kpeyei, Executive Director of the Movement for Justice in Liberia; Alvin Smith, Chief Investigator for the International Justice Group; and Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

“The United States Congress must fully fund and support the integrity of the Court,” said Dr. Alan White.

“The time is now for justice, and we need the full support of Congress,” added Yahsyndi Martin-Kpeyei.

Several witnesses raised concerns about non-governmental organizations engaged in Liberia—including Civitas Maxima founded by Swiss lawyer Alain Werner; the Global Justice and Research Project founded by Hassan Bility; and the Center for Justice and Accountability with whom Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack was formerly affiliated.

“Bility, Werner and Van Schaack are tainted and cannot be affiliated anywhere with the Court,” said Alvin Smith.

“Liberians face a serious problem as scammers cloaking themselves in human rights advocacy seek to pervert justice in Liberia for their own prestige or profit,” said Michael Rubin. “A series of human rights groups have taken pay-to-play corruption to a new level in Liberia.”

Rubin continued: “For several years Civitas Maxima coached witnesses to give false testimony in a war crimes prosecution-for-profit scheme. The unwillingness of diplomats and other human rights groups to perform due diligence on their partners enabled Civitas Maxima to claim many sponsors including the US Department of State.”

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