A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

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government were another step on Liberia’s path to civil war. The culture of brutality and impunity, as well as the increasing ethnic conflict, was a harbinger of the crisis to come. 102
Notes 1 Garswah Blacktom, Testimony at the Diaspora Public Hearings of the Truth & Reconciliation Comm’n of Liberia 5-6 (June 11, 2008, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.) (transcript on file with author). 2 TRC Diaspora Statement Recs. 1444 and 121. The Tolbert government invoked a mutual defense pact with Guinea, leading to the arrival of more than 700 Guinean troops in Monrovia. jeremy i. levitt, tHe evolution of deAdly ConfliCt in liberiA: from ‘PAternAltAriAnism’ to stAte CollAPse 196 (2005). 3 Id.; Liberia: Give Peace a Chance, PBS, http://www. pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/05/liberia_ give_pelinks.html (last visited Aug. 14, 2008). 4 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1303. 5 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1351. 6 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 823. 7 Id. 8 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1351. 9 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1444. 10 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 40. 11 Id. See also lAwyers Committee for HumAn rigHts, liberiA: A Promise betrAyed 13-14 (1986) (writing that “President Tolbert ordered police to open fire on the unarmed demonstrators” but citing no source for the information). 12 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 40. 13 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1444. Testimony from Tolbert’s then Vice President, however, disputes the fact that Tolbert gave orders to shoot protestors. Bishop Bennie D. Warner, Testimony at the Diaspora Public Hearings of the Truth & Reconciliation Comm’n of Liberia 28 (June 10, 2008, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.) (transcript on file with author) (stating that the “President never ordered for anybody to shoot”). 14 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 40. 15 One statement giver reported that many people simply ignored the curfew or thought they would be exempt if they remained on the sidewalk in front of their yards. TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1444. 16 Id. Pumping tire is where an individual holds his ears while moving up and down on the balls of the feet. TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1731. 103 Chapter Five 17 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1444. 18 Id. 19 levitt, supra note 2, at 196. 20 Marie Y. Hayes, Testimony at the Diaspora Public Hearings of the Truth & Reconciliation Comm’n of Liberia 4 (June 12, 2008, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.) (transcript on file with author). Levitt notes that domestic and international pressure was brought to bear on Tolbert to release the leaders of the riots. levitt, supra note 2, at 196 21 Marie Y. Hayes, Testimony at the Diaspora Public Hearings of the Truth & Reconciliation Comm’n of Liberia 9-10 (June 12, 2008, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.) (transcript on file with author). 22 m. burleigH Holder, tHe HAnd of god 117 (2006). 23 Report of the Presidential Comm’n on Nat’l Reconstruction to Dr. William R. Tolbert, Jr., President of Liberia, at 3, June 12, 1979 (on file with author). 24 d. elwood dunn, Amos j. beyAn & CArl PAtriCk burrowes, HistoriCAl diCtionAry of liberiA xxxi (2d ed. 2001). 25 Id. 26 Id. 27 See Peter Dennis, Int’l Center for Transitional Justice, A Brief History of Liberia 2, May 2006, http://www. ictj.org/static/Africa/Liberia/BriefHistory.pdf. 28 See Augustine Toure, Int’l Peace Acad., The Role of Civil Society in National Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Liberia n.58, April 2002, http://reliefweb.int/ rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/SKAI-7DHLF9/$file/IPA_ CivilSociety_Liberia_Apr02.pdf?openelement. 29 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 33 (quoting excerpts from viCtoriA A. tolbert, lifted uP (1996) , which were submitted as a TRC statement by members of the Tolbert family in the United States). 30 Id. 31 Id. 32 Leon Dash, Liberian Soldiers Taunt, Shoot 13 Former Leaders, wAsH. Post, April 23, 1980, at A1. 33 Wilhelmina Holder, Testimony at the Diaspora Public Hearings of the Truth & Reconciliation Comm’n of Liberia 31 (June 13, 2008, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.) (transcript on file with author).
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A House with Two Rooms Final Report
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This report is dedicated to the peo
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The Advocates for Human Rights The
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Table of contents Acknowledgments x
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The Return 374 Chapter Fourteen. Re
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Lindquist & Vennum LLP Maslon Edelm
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Finally, The Advocates thanks our i
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Table of Acronyms ACANA African Cul
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3 Chapter One. Executive Summary Al
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also spoken. Liberia was partly sha
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The concentration of state power am
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factions as they emerged to contest
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thirteen years old. They dragged he
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or guiding children and others who
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are extremely high, but the realiti
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Addressing the legacy of conflict t
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Notes 1 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec.
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Priority Recommendations at a Glanc
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(UNHCR) should ensure that any repa
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individuals personally responsible
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eflect its history and people. Such
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31 Chapter Two
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hiStory and goalS Chapter Three. Di
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Commissioner Massa Washington, who
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39 Chapter Three Many national trut
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41 Chapter Three The TRC Diaspora P
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The majority of TRC statements from
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45 Chapter Three The report authors
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taking and is available for viewing
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geography and peopleS 1 Liberia is
Page 68 and 69: key featureS of liBerian culture Li
Page 70 and 71: Liberian settler politics from 1883
Page 72 and 73: President Tolbert. 76 Tolbert was a
Page 74 and 75: peace, security, unity and reconcil
Page 76 and 77: practices as superior to practices
Page 78 and 79: would have to make concessions to i
Page 80 and 81: statement giver reported how his ne
Page 82 and 83: targeted. For example, people with
Page 84 and 85: chickens, food, animals, and things
Page 86 and 87: televangelist Pat Robertson’s Fre
Page 88 and 89: 33 The palava hut is a traditional
Page 90 and 91: Special Court for Sierra Leone, htt
Page 92 and 93: Press Secretary to Samuel K. Doe, i
Page 94 and 95: see also Herman J. Cohen, Assistant
Page 97: 81 Chapter Five Human Rights Abuses
Page 100 and 101: military to shoot the mostly indige
Page 102 and 103: Human rights violations reported du
Page 104 and 105: around, all derisively gazing at th
Page 106 and 107: soldiers reportedly engaged in loot
Page 108 and 109: eleased. 63 Checkpoints and Curfews
Page 110 and 111: In 1984, this statement giver himse
Page 112 and 113: dorms and raped for several days be
Page 114 and 115: Ethnic Targeting Doe’s revenge ag
Page 116 and 117: and stripping billboards of Doe. 14
Page 120 and 121: 34 The statement giver’s father d
Page 122 and 123: 108 Adewale Maja-Pearce, The Press
Page 124 and 125: 108
Page 126 and 127: 110
Page 128 and 129: all groups committed human rights v
Page 130 and 131: faction for companionship and prote
Page 132 and 133: Statement givers noted the rewards
Page 134 and 135: We were on the road and some rebels
Page 136 and 137: Combatants used other methods to co
Page 138 and 139: BBC was careful not to broadcast di
Page 140 and 141: 42 See TRC Diaspora Statement Recs.
Page 142 and 143: 126
Page 144 and 145: 128
Page 146 and 147: methods condoned, encouraged, or ev
Page 148 and 149: “Starvation of civilians as a met
Page 150 and 151: where there was “a wall running w
Page 152 and 153: were Kru, Sarpo, Lorma, or Bassa du
Page 154 and 155: plastic and my sister’s fingers w
Page 156 and 157: If you are a man and wear a red T-s
Page 158 and 159: Those responsible for the detention
Page 160 and 161: We didn’t want to leave Monrovia.
Page 162 and 163: The terroristic impact of the killi
Page 164 and 165: his bare hand and because of that,
Page 166 and 167: okered peace accords, 195 disarmame
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the woman was from. She replied tha
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Doe’s body for political reasons.
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Another statement giver stated that
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iSe of other factionS The years bet
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Statements and secondary sources re
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One day some men from the LPC came
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epresentatives selected by the vari
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families, 409 killing, 410 and seek
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Statements revealed that ECO-MOG pl
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Notes 1 stePHen ellis, tHe mAsk of
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96 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 1354
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Every Car Or Moving Object Gone: Th
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Report.aspx?ReportId=57838 (last vi
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180
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182
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Liberian treasury and had plenty of
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group supported by Guinea and forme
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homes and in public. A statement gi
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of being beaten while in detention.
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an informant, but was never brought
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Acts, such as murder, extermination
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publisher. After that, the reporter
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97 Children and Armed Conflict, sup
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200
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202
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Estimates of the number of child so
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ex-combatants interviewed by Human
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of the conflict, but in 1996, lost
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Use of Child Soldiers National Patr
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that they were never paid and relie
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He thought the commanders provided
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Some former child soldiers acknowle
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Another statement giver credited a
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21 Promises of Peace, supra note 7
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224
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226
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The statute creating the TRC also r
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Legal Systems The division of Liber
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of regulated labor. According to th
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the young woman that “trading sex
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context, but rather is a violation
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In addition to inflicting torture o
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One statement giver described an at
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A public hearing witness also testi
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The rebel who raped me was named An
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I was befriended by an elderly woma
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through the destruction of familial
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community displacement, as well as
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eceive adequate treatment following
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Notes 1 U.N. Div. for the Advanceme
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University (Sept. 23, 2008) (noting
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(transcript on file with the author
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204 Id. 205 See U.N. Country Team,
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262
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264
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egime, Libyans had also established
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Taylor. Côte d’Ivoire’s combin
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Endemic corruption during the civil
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A final complicating factor in the
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Liberia was the largest producer of
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at 4 (Nov. 2003), http://www.issafr
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certificates of origin from Liberia
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119 Liberia - UNOMIL Background, Au
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282
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284
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national seal with the motto “The
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government, the U.S. Navy sent two
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Nevertheless, diplomatic officials
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and shootings that resulted in deat
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intervene and that we didn’t do i
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$525,000 on June 21, 2000 and the s
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87 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 707.
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300
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302
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families fled to avoid attack when
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homes. One statement giver describe
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Everyone Scattered When the rebels
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abies and ran to the bush as fast a
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helped me and paid for everything.
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Liberians engaged in an array of ta
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compound was later forced to go to
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Physically crossing the border was
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One statement giver who escaped Lib
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Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire, and r
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statement givers as the reason they
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were rounded up and held in “conc
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change left many who arrived in Bud
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This leads [him] and others to use
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[A], you’re still living. We will
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here with my children and step-chil
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families are now leaders in governm
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Refugees entering the United States
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Some asylum seekers have been unabl
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life after reSettlement The length
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plane tickets, which we would later
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“Even your younger brother will t
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in a university. We are looked at a
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given rise to problems within the h
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y learning the material. 413 Additi
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Liberians also reported concerns ab
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For example, foreign medical profes
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association websites in the United
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matter, for-profit businesses), cer
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yet typical, trauma by the time the
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actually moved out of state. I know
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inter-tribal mixing occurs than eve
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A researcher interviewing Liberians
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Several statement givers and interv
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Alliance of Liberia (PAL), and the
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After the establishment of peace in
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Notes 1 See Steven Vertovec, The Po
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ehind the back, tied at the elbow s
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Refugee Registration, UNHCR news st
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had arrived after 2003 were allowed
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266 Id. 267 Id. 268 Id. 269 TRC Dia
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Liberians “(1)who are ineligible
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Women’s Association (MAWA), Minne
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Kingdom (Sept. 29, 2008) (describin
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Anner, Sept. 4, 2008, http://www.ba
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552 See, e.g., Assoc. Press, Liberi
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614 See Nina Glick Schiller, Long-D
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398
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400
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liBeria’S international legal oBl
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• Protocol on the Statute of the
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include suggestions for making the
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• Given the extent of the Liberia
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While such programs are important f
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• The Government of Liberia shoul
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on the Rights and Welfare of the Ch
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young persons, without discriminati
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education, such as adult literacy c
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person’s choice, the government s
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are accessible to vulnerable popula
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Potential Implementation Strategy:
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the victims concerned where the con
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identified by the Liberia Refugee R
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Personal Integrity & Dignity: The R
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Personal Integrity & Dignity: Prohi
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treatment appropriate to their stat
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Security Sector Potential Implement
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Security Sector: Combating Extra-Le
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investigation will be initiated. In
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• Continuous training in the prov
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• Ensuring that the government do
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o incorporates capacity building of
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ut also retain the benefits to the
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emoved. Civil Claims • The Govern
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Section vi. economic, Social, and c
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or injury. 308 • The Government o
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field of education and, in particul
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Healthcare the personal and cultura
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society to mental health issues and
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Page 484 and 485:
Page 486 and 487:
situations of armed conflicts or of
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encourage research on the causes, n
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ecognition. 393 • The Government
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men; • The Government of Liberia
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of national institutions for protec
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Recommendations to the Internationa
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financing of reasonable buffer stoc
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Section ix. recommendationS related
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the United States Government take t
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Asylee-Refugee Parity Liberian refu
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• The United States Government sh
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to ensure that Liberians are able t
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concluSion The Liberia TRC Diaspora
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Notes 1 An Act to Establish the Tru
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66 Convention on the Rights of the
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156 Id. Principle 15.2. 157 Convent
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231 by the Minnesota Lawyers Intern
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Principle 24(b). 287 Id. Principle
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nl/~mtrapman/xgasten/nizw/WHODeclar
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Commissions 31-32 (2006); U.N. Prin
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512
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514
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Bachelor of Arts in political scien
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518
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520
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II. Sources of International Law Ar
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Bill of Rights.” 27 In turn, this
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• to the highest attainable stand
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iv. Specific Application of Interna
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iii. The Convention against Torture
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D. Regional Human Rights Instrument
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(i.e., complaints) may also be sent
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due to the national emergency. In s
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Conventions I-IV that apply only in
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treaties include the Convention on
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• International Convention on the
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U.N.T.S. 171 [hereinafter ICCPR]; I
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114 Id. art. 25, 26. 115 Human Righ
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201 The date following the treaty o
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550
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552
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The Organization of African Unity (
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d. Asylum from Persecution The poli
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origin, fortune, birth or other sta
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Notes 1 u.s. Committee for refugees
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48 Id. art. 26. 49 1951 UN Refugee
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564
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566
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Standing Mediation Committee to bri
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May 2001 - U.N. Security Council re
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572
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574
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1. Background to the TRC 2. Designa
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Advisory Committee resources, Minne
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as stated herein, consistent with t
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C. Recommendations, if appropriate,
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584
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586
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588
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590
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that rich information about the dia
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governmental organizations, law fir
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596
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598
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Table 3. Participation of Statement
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602
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604
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Photo Legend Chapter One Page 1: TR
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Page 266: Ghana’s Atlantic coast.
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610
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A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

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