U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) wants to know how the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. State Department might aid in urging Liberia to establish a war crimes tribunal that would prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“We are seeing Liberia’s slow creep backwards towards the murderous mayhem of its civil war era,” Rep. Donovan wrote in a letter sent recently to U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“Liberians are rightfully clamoring for justice,” wrote the congressman. “The last thing we want to see is the cycle of violence start yet again. I fear that is exactly what will happen should the perpetrators of vicious crimes be allowed to escape responsibility.”
Rep. Donovan seeks their help to further encourage establishment of a war crimes tribunal after Front Page Africa reported that Gbehzohngar Findley, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Liberia, had made comments hinting that the Liberian government might not set up such a tribunal.
“I understand that there are Liberians who want the war crimes court but also what are the results from the majority of the people of the country,” Findley reportedly said during a radio interview, according to the Oct. 18 article. “Do we go to a referendum for this? If people are not happy then let’s advocate for a referendum for the Liberian people to decide the way forward on this matter.”
Liberians in the nation and abroad, along with more than 80 local and international groups, already have advocated for the establishment of a criminal tribunal, according to the article, which noted that the United Nations has given the Liberian government a July 2020 deadline to implement the 2010 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which include establishing such a tribunal.
Likewise, Rep. Donovan on Sept. 7 introduced the bipartisan House Resolution (H.Res.) 1055 in the U.S. House of Representatives that calls upon the African nation to establish a war crimes tribunal.
H.Res. 1055 would affirm strong United States-Liberia ties and support for democratic principles, and call for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia, according to the text of the resolution in the congressional record.
The resolution has seven cosponsors, including Reps. Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). In the most recent action on H.Res. 1055, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Sept. 27 held a markup session and by unanimous consent agreed to seek consideration of the resolution under suspension of the rules.
In his recent letter to Secretary Mattis and Secretary Pompeo, Rep. Donovan noted that his New York 11th Congressional District is home to the largest Liberian population in the world outside of Liberia.
“With a vibrant presence in the Clifton section of Staten Island, I have seen their contributions for many years,” he wrote. “They are a hardworking and family-oriented community who have made themselves an integral part of the district.”
During “heinous crimes” that occurred from 1991 to 2002 during the nation’s civil war, Rep. Donovan pointed out that more than 200,000 people were killed by violence, while upwards of one million people were displaced. The time period also included “horrific cases of murder, amputation, mass rape, and other human rights abuses,” he wrote.
“Many of the perpetrators hold positions in Liberia’s government,” wrote Donovan, who called Minister Findley’s recent public statement “vague” and said it “falls short of genuine and robust commitment to establishing a war crimes tribunal.”
Therefore, the representative asked the secretaries what more their departments could do to encourage Monrovia to establish a war crimes tribunal and how else members of Congress could assist in the effort.
“I look forward to your expeditious responses,” Rep. Donovan wrote.