liberia: life-threatening risks for pro-democracy activists

ACCRA DECLARATION ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN LIBERIA

At the invitation of the Media Foundation for West Africa (Ghana) and the Center for Democratic Empowerment (Liberia), an international meeting on the human rights situation in Liberia was held in Accra on July 22 and 23, 2002. The meeting was attended by 52 representatives of national human rights commissions and civil society organisations of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, media institutions, and other pro-democracy advocates.

The meeting examined the increasingly deteriorating human rights situation in Liberia and considered a number of urgent issues, among which were:

§ The centrality of impunity and rights abuses in the rule of President Taylor;
§ The challenges faced by civil society organisations; in particular, the plight of human rights defenders, journalists and media practitioners, working for democracy and the rule of law in Liberia;
§ The role of international solidarity and campaigns on Liberia;
§ The on-going armed conflict and general state of insecurity in Liberia, and their impact on human rights; and,
§ The state of implementation of the peace agreements under which Mr Charles Taylor become President of Liberia, and the role of regional governments and ECOWAS.

The meeting benefited from the research findings of experts, such as the compilation of human rights abuses in Liberia under the Taylor government published by the Media Foundation for West Africa, entitled, “Liberia: Human Rights Violations, 1997 – 2002”. It also benefited from the report from the Liberian Leadership Forum conference of Liberian political and civic leaders held in Ouagadougou, July 8 – 11, 2002, as well as the experiences of practitioners in the field of human rights generally, and the Liberian situation in particular.

Participants concluded that:

§ § The blatant commission of attacks on the rights of Liberian citizens, including crimes such as politically-motivated assassinations and violent physical attacks on pro-democracy individuals, institutions and the media go uninvestigated and unpunished, thereby institutionalising the culture of impunity as an instrument of rule;
§ § Human rights defenders, democracy advocates and media practitioners are under constant attack in Liberia; but they continue to persevere amidst the reprisals and life-threatening challenges;
§ § International solidarity actions and campaigns have greatly assisted and strengthened those in the frontline of the struggle, and the victims of rights abuses in Liberia;
§ § The widespread, arbitrary violence on citizens destroy and endanger the normal, peaceful activities of civil society organizations;
§ § The failure of the guarantors (i.e., ECOWAS, the OAU, the UN, and regional powers) of the peace agreements (in particular, the Abuja Accords) to ensure the full implementation of those agreements, especially the provisions that relate to reorganising and restructuring the national army and other security agencies, has led to the development of private militias and actions that have engulfed the Mano River Union in violent conflicts;
§ § The situation of armed conflict between the forces of President Taylor and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) not only exacerbates the terrible human rights abuses in the country, but has also created grave humanitarian and other consequences for the fabric of civil life in Liberia and the West African sub-region which will persist if not stopped immediately.

In the light of the considerations of the critical issues and the conclusions drawn therefrom, the meeting took a number of decisions:

1. 1. Participants at the meeting undertake to:
- - Monitor and provide regular and up-to-date information on the human rights situation in Liberia to African and international audiences;
- - Petition and make appeals to parliaments and governments to take concrete steps to stem the gross human rights violations in Liberia;
- - Give support to make more effective the work of Liberians and Liberian organisations to promote the restoration of peace, human rights and democracy in the country;
- - Coordinate the dissemination of information and awareness-building on the situation in Liberia and launch the Liberia human rights campaign in their respective countries or areas under their institutional coverage;
- - Take specific actions aimed at supporting the independence of the judiciary and strengthening the human rights defence work of the legal profession in Liberia;
- - Express solidarity with the Liberian people, especially peace and human rights activists in the country, whenever there is an attack on any citizen;
- - Work actively with the Liberian people to promote a ceasefire between the forces of Mr Taylor and the LURD, and to encourage them to resolve their rival claims through internationally recognised democratic political processes.

2. 2. Liberian human rights advocates and defenders are encouraged to:
- - Heighten their collaboration by strengthening the existing coalition of human rights organisations;
- - Provide regular information on the human rights situation in Liberia, for use in campaigns and other advocacy actions;
- - Intensify actions for ceasefire between the forces of Mr Charles Taylor and the LURD; and to settle promote settlement of the crisis through democratic political processes.

3. 3. ECOWAS, the AU, the UN and the international community are respectively and variously called upon to:
- - Investigate and ensure the punishment of all cases of human rights violations and politically-motivated crimes, in order to stem the pervasive culture of impunity under Mr Taylor;
- - Increase protection and assistance for Liberian refugees, and specifically in this connection, for the UNHCR to resume assistance to Liberian refugees in Ghana;
- - Request the Ghana government to ensure that immigration authorities cease their harassment of and restrictions on Liberians entering Ghana;
- - Intensify humanitarian assistance to victims of the armed conflict;
- - Ensure full respect for and compliance with the decisions of the UN Security Council, the AU and ECOWAS on Liberia;
- - Use the peer review mechanisms of the AU and NEPAD to examine the rule of President Taylor in Liberia and its effect on the Mano River region;
- - Ensure a ceasefire between the rival armed groups in Liberia; and
- - Support the position of Liberian civil society and political party leaders as contained in the July 11, 2002 Ouagadougou Declaration, especially with respect to the creation of an International Contact Group on peace in Liberia and the setting up and deployment of an International Security Stabilisation Force in the country.

Done in Accra, Ghana, this 23 day of July, 2002.

For further information, please contact:

The Executive Director The Executive Director
Media Foundation for West Africa Center for Democratic Empowerment
P O Box LG 730, Legon, Accra 06 BP 397, Abidjan 06
Ghana Cote I’voire
Tel: 233-21-242470 Tel: 225-22-411421
Fax: 233-21-221084 Fax: 225-22449887
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]