A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

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Kingdom (Sept. 29, 2008) (describing coming to the United Kingdom for advanced medical training). 452 The Gateway program in the United Kingdom is analogous to the United States Refugee Program, see supra note 303. The Gateway Protection Programme is operated by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in conjunction with the UNHCR, and a quota, which is set annually, determines its intake. The number of arrivals to the United Kingdom through the Gateway Protection Programme is determined by an annual quota, the level of which is established by Ministers each year having considered the resources available, the need for resettlement globally, and impact on local services in the United Kingdom. More information is available at http://www. bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/ policyandlaw/asylumpolicyinstructions/. 453 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 460. 454 Id. 455 Id. 456 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 522. 457 Id. 458 Interview with H.E. Wesley M. Johnson, Ambassador to Great Britain, London, United Kingdom (Sept. 21, 2007) (describing a collaboration between the Home Office and the Liberian Embassy to interview thousands of purported Liberians and determine whether they actually qualified for the benefits they were receiving through the Liberian resettlement program). 459 Telephone interview with John N. Brownell, President, Union of Liberian Organizations – United Kingdom (ULO-UK) (Oct. 6, 2008). 460 See Telephone interview with Dr. George Flahn, President, Liberian Med. Assoc. in the United Kingdom (Sept. 29, 2008) (describing lawyers, professors, and engineers who have had trouble finding related employ); see also TRC Diaspora Statement Rec. 486 (TRC Diaspora Statement Recounting experiences of two male relatives who were judges in Liberia and could not find legal employment outside Liberia). 461 Telephone interview with John N. Brownell, President, Union of Liberian Organizations – United Kingdom (ULO-UK) (Oct. 6, 2008). 462 Telephone interview with Dr. George Flahn, 390 President, Liberian Med. Assoc. in the United Kingdom (Sept. 29, 2008) (noting that “Britain is used to having “lots of foreign doctors” in their system). 463 Telephone interview with John N. Brownell, President, Union of Liberian Organizations – United Kingdom (ULO-UK) (Oct. 6, 2008). 464 Telephone interview with Dr. George Flahn, President, Liberian Med. Assoc. in the UK (Sept. 29, 2008); Telephone interview with Leslie Togbah, President, Liberian Union of Manchester (Sept. 30, 2008). 465 Telephone interview with Dr. George Flahn, President, Liberian Med. Assoc. in the UK (Sept. 29, 2008). 466 Telephone interview with Leslie Togbah, President, Liberian Union of Manchester (Sept. 30, 2008). 467 ULAA is an acronym for Union of Liberian Association in the Americas, see http://www. ulaaliberia.net/ulaahome.htm. 468 Dennis Jah, What is Wrong with Liberian Community Organizations? (Apr. 27, 2008), http:// dennisjah.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-is-wrongliberian-community.html. 469 Siahyonkron Nyanseor, A Brief Assessment of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas: 1974-1985 (Aug. 31, 1985) (paper delivered at the LCA-Georgia Board of Director’s Meeting, Charlotte, N.C., on file with the author). 470 Id. 471 On its website (http://www.ulaaliberia.net/ ulaahome.htm), ULAA lists the following chapters: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, New Jersey–North, New Jersey–South, New York–Manhattan, New York–Staten Island, New York–Bronx, North Carolina, Ohio, PA–Philadelphia, PA–Pittsburg, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., and Washington State. Founding members of ULAA came from metro Washington, D.C., the Delaware Valley including Philadelphia, New Jersey, Brooklyn, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y., Bridgeport, Conn. and Boston, Mass. Siahyonkron Nyanseor, A Brief Assessment of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas: 1974-1985 (Aug. 31, 1985) (paper delivered at the LCA-Georgia Board of Director’s Meeting, Charlotte, N.C., on file with the author).
472 See http://www.liberiansineurope.org/about/about. htm, which states that “The European Federation of Liberian Associations (EFLA) is an umbrella European Liberian organizations and associations that was established in July 2003 in an effort to provide support to Liberians in Europe and Liberia. EFLA is a legally-registered Belgian based federation comprising a network of Liberian Associations and Organizations located in The Netherlands, France, Luxemburg, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, The United Kingdom and The Kingdom of Belgium.” 473 See John Nimly Brownell, Liberians in Britain, http://jnbrownell2.tripod.com/id44.html. 474 See Liberians in Belgium, http://liberiansinbelgium. org/. 475 One ULAA founder noted that the organization’s structure reflects the founders’ political mindset at the time – the need for inclusiveness and democratic transparency in the Liberian society. “The actual power emanates from the people at the local levels.” Telephone interview with Siahyonkron Nyanseor, ULAA founding member and eleventh president (Aug. 1, 2008). The framers of ULAA wanted to reflect their desire for decentralization of the Liberian political and governmental system in the Union’s structure. Id. Finally, in addition to the local chapters, ULAA has a membership arm, which is a stand-alone arm. The membership body encompasses all formal local chapters, other Liberian organizations that may not hold official status with the union, as well as friends of Liberia as honorary members. Id. 476 See, e.g., The Federation of Liberian Mandingo in the United States of America (FELMAUSA) at www. felmausa.org, Liberian Mandingo Association of Pennsylvania (LIMAP) at www.limap.org, The United Bong County Association in the Americas at www.unitedbong.org, the United Nimba Citizen’s Council (UNICCO) at www.unicco.org, the United Bassa Organization in America (UNIBOA) at www. uniboa.org, the National Bomi County Association in the Americas at www.nbcaa.org, etc. 477 One interviewee opined that, in addition to the need to socialize, some members of the ULAA withdrew from the organization in the 1980s and formed county, ethnic, or high school alumni associations to protest certain policies in favor of or against the new 391 Chapter Thirteen PRC regime in Liberia. Telephone interview with Siahyonkron Nyanseor, ULAA founding member and eleventh president (Aug. 1, 2008). 478 E.g., FELMAUSA, supra note 476; The National Association of Cape Mountainians in the Americas at http://siteground214.com/~sanfranc/ NACA/?q=frontpage. 479 For example, the University of Liberia has a major alumni association in the United States with branches in every state with a high Liberian population. High school alumni associations include, for example, C.H. Dewey High School Alumni Association in America, The William V.S. Tubman High School Alumni Association, Samford Dennis Alumni Association, Ricks Institute Alumni Association, Cathedral Catholic High School Alumni Association, College of West Africa Alumni Association, and Konola Academy Alumni Association. 480 Interview with Wayne Douglas Doe, 1998- 2002 president of the Konola Academy Alumni Association, Minneapolis, Minn. (Aug. 5, 2008). 481 Id. 482 Telephone interview with Father James N. Wilson II, past-president, Liberian Ministers Association of Minnesota (Aug. 22, 2008). 483 Id. 484 Liberian Ministers Association official membership listing 2007 (on file with the author); dAnA k. nelson, mission And migrAtion: fifty two AfriCAn And AsiAn CongregAtions in minnesotA 42-46, 138-42 (2007). 485 Numerous Liberian community disputes have been referred to religious leaders whether Christian or Muslim. For example, community elections and leadership disputes in Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Staten Island have been settled by pastors in the recent past. 486 Telephone interview with Father James N. Wilson II, past-president, Liberian Ministers Association of Minnesota (Aug. 22, 2008). 487 Johnny Dwyer, Trying Times in Little Liberia: On Staten Island, Reflections of a War-Torn Country, tHe villAge voiCe, Aug. 19 2003, http://www.villagevoice. com/2003-08-19/news/trying-times-in-littleliberia/. 488 Historic ‘Little Liberia’ Homes Face Forclosure, bAy stAte
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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
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key featureS of liBerian culture Li
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Liberian settler politics from 1883
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President Tolbert. 76 Tolbert was a
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peace, security, unity and reconcil
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practices as superior to practices
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would have to make concessions to i
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statement giver reported how his ne
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targeted. For example, people with
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chickens, food, animals, and things
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televangelist Pat Robertson’s Fre
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33 The palava hut is a traditional
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Special Court for Sierra Leone, htt
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Press Secretary to Samuel K. Doe, i
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see also Herman J. Cohen, Assistant
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81 Chapter Five Human Rights Abuses
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military to shoot the mostly indige
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Human rights violations reported du
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around, all derisively gazing at th
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soldiers reportedly engaged in loot
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eleased. 63 Checkpoints and Curfews
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In 1984, this statement giver himse
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dorms and raped for several days be
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Ethnic Targeting Doe’s revenge ag
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and stripping billboards of Doe. 14
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government were another step on Lib
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34 The statement giver’s father d
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108 Adewale Maja-Pearce, The Press
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108
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110
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all groups committed human rights v
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faction for companionship and prote
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Statement givers noted the rewards
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We were on the road and some rebels
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Combatants used other methods to co
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BBC was careful not to broadcast di
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42 See TRC Diaspora Statement Recs.
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126
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128
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methods condoned, encouraged, or ev
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“Starvation of civilians as a met
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where there was “a wall running w
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were Kru, Sarpo, Lorma, or Bassa du
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plastic and my sister’s fingers w
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If you are a man and wear a red T-s
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Those responsible for the detention
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We didn’t want to leave Monrovia.
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The terroristic impact of the killi
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his bare hand and because of that,
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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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Page 418 and 419: liBeria’S international legal oBl
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Page 424 and 425: • Given the extent of the Liberia
Page 426 and 427: While such programs are important f
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Page 430 and 431: on the Rights and Welfare of the Ch
Page 432 and 433: young persons, without discriminati
Page 434 and 435: education, such as adult literacy c
Page 436 and 437: person’s choice, the government s
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Page 440 and 441: Potential Implementation Strategy:
Page 442 and 443: the victims concerned where the con
Page 444 and 445: identified by the Liberia Refugee R
Page 446 and 447: Personal Integrity & Dignity: The R
Page 448 and 449: Personal Integrity & Dignity: Prohi
Page 450 and 451: treatment appropriate to their stat
Page 452 and 453: Security Sector Potential Implement
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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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Potential Implementation Strategy:
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ut also retain the benefits to the
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emoved. Civil Claims • The Govern
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• The Government of Liberia shoul
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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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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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Potential Implementation Strategy:
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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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