A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

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at events in the diaspora community. For example, The Advocates and its pro bono affiliates organized community meetings in Minneapolis, Atlanta, Chicago, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. The meetings provided an opportunity for several hundred Liberians in the United States to hear from Chairman Verdier and other Commissioners and to ask questions about the TRC’s operation and goals. In several cities, a festive kick-off event with food and cultural performances was held to launch statement taking. Some of the most effective outreach efforts centered on apartment buildings or neighborhoods populated by Liberians or at Liberian food shops, restaurants, beauty salons, and barber shops. On several occasions, The Advocates staff and volunteers conducted outreach at national conventions of diaspora community organizations. The Advocates also conducted a special “Healing Through Faith” conference for Liberian diaspora religious leaders. The Advocates staff, volunteers, and national advisory committee members conducted outreach at numerous churches and mosques, soccer matches, county association meetings, and other local events. Statement Taker Recruitment and Training In Liberia, statement takers were Liberians paid by the TRC, but statement takers in the diaspora were all unpaid volunteers recruited from pro bono affiliates. 21 Most were non-Liberian, but Liberians were welcomed to the process, and several did complete the training and participated as statement takers. 22 In addition to reviewing a 400-page training manual, 23 all volunteers were required to complete a ninehour in-depth training program. Volunteer trainings were held in all project locations. Volunteers who were unable to attend could also complete the training by viewing video replay of the sessions, which remain available on-line. 24 Volunteer statement takers received training on the mandate of the TRC, the history of Liberia and the conflict, international human rights and humanitarian law, statement taking protocols and policies, interviewing survivors of torture and war trauma, avoiding vicarious trauma, and cultural considerations for working with Liberians. All training sessions included a mock TRC statement interview facilitated by The Advocates’ staff and a Liberian volunteer. Trainers included The Advocates’ staff, Commissioners, psychologists, Liberian professionals and community leaders, as well as academics. Statement Taking Statement forms and protocols used in the diaspora were modeled after those used in Liberia with some modifications appropriate to the diaspora context. The addition of a disclosure form and resource information, as described above, was a key modification. Questions specifically relating to the experience of Liberians in flight and in the diaspora also were added to the statement taking protocol. Diaspora forms and protocols were pilot-tested in late 2006. Volunteer statement takers began taking statements in January 2007 in Minnesota. Project sites were added around the country and in the United Kingdom through January 2008. Statement taking continued through August 2008. 42 Chapter Three
The majority of TRC statements from the diaspora were gathered during in-person interviews. In the United States and the United Kingdom, these interviews generally were one to two hours in length and took place in homes, designated statement taking sites, or other locations of the statement giver’s choosing. Interviews were conducted by a team of statement takers who then compiled a narrative summary of the statement giver’s experiences, opinions, and recommendations. As a result of an overwhelming demand from refugees in Ghana to provide statements to the TRC, interviews there were almost exclusively taken by single interviewers in designated statement taking sites around the settlement. Data Management Information from statement taking interviews was entered by statement takers from around the United States and the United Kingdom into a web-based data management system designed to store confidential client communications and other legal information. Volunteers were given passwords and the database was filtered so that they could view only the statements that they themselves entered. Statements gathered in the diaspora were also provided to the TRC coding unit in Liberia so as to be included in the statistical analysis undertaken by the TRC’s data management partner. Research The TRC of Liberia requested that The Advocates provide the Research and Inquiry Unit of the TRC with support via The Advocates’ network of volunteers in the United States. To that end, several U.S. law firms completed background memoranda on topics ranging from the role of the United States in the Liberian conflict to a comparison of reparations programs that were provided to the TRC for its use. 25 Diaspora Public Hearings Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding with the TRC of Liberia, The Advocates assisted the TRC by planning and conducting public hearings in the diaspora. The Liberian TRC was the first national TRC to hold public hearings in the United States. 26 The public hearings were held June 9-14, 2008, at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. All eight 27 Commissioners presided over 43
Page 1 and 2:
A House with Two Rooms Final Report
Page 3 and 4:
This report is dedicated to the peo
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The Advocates for Human Rights The
Page 7 and 8: Table of contents Acknowledgments x
Page 9 and 10: The Return 374 Chapter Fourteen. Re
Page 11 and 12: Lindquist & Vennum LLP Maslon Edelm
Page 13 and 14: Finally, The Advocates thanks our i
Page 15: Table of Acronyms ACANA African Cul
Page 19 and 20: 3 Chapter One. Executive Summary Al
Page 21 and 22: also spoken. Liberia was partly sha
Page 23 and 24: The concentration of state power am
Page 25 and 26: factions as they emerged to contest
Page 27 and 28: thirteen years old. They dragged he
Page 29 and 30: or guiding children and others who
Page 31 and 32: are extremely high, but the realiti
Page 33 and 34: Addressing the legacy of conflict t
Page 35: Notes 1 TRC Diaspora Statement Rec.
Page 39 and 40: Priority Recommendations at a Glanc
Page 41 and 42: (UNHCR) should ensure that any repa
Page 43 and 44: individuals personally responsible
Page 45 and 46: eflect its history and people. Such
Page 47: 31 Chapter Two
Page 51 and 52: hiStory and goalS Chapter Three. Di
Page 53 and 54: Commissioner Massa Washington, who
Page 55 and 56: 39 Chapter Three Many national trut
Page 57: 41 Chapter Three The TRC Diaspora P
Page 61 and 62: 45 Chapter Three The report authors
Page 63: taking and is available for viewing
Page 66 and 67: 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
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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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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:
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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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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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