MONROVIA, Montserrado – The president of National Bar Association, Tiawan Gongloe, has constituted an ad-hoc committee to draft a bill for the establishment of a special court to try individuals accused of committing war and economic crimes during the country’s prolonged civil crisis.
At its recent annual national convention held in March, members of the bar association agreed to submit a bill to the National Legislature for the establishment of a war and economic crimes court.
Gongloe has appointed constitutional lawyer Jallah Barbu as chair of the five-member ad-hoc committee.
According to the communication appointing Barbu, Gongloe said the lawyer is best suited to head the ad-hoc committee because of his knowledge in constitutional, international, and criminal law, in addition to his dedication to promoting a public interest law in Liberia.
Gongloe, the popular human rights lawyer, was elected in November 2018 to head the bar association for a two-year term. He had made a commitment during his induction ceremony that his position would not limit him from being vocal on critical national issues.
As a testament, he frowned on the Supreme Court for its position in the recent impeachment proceeding of former Associate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh. He also spoke strongly against a video showing two women being paraded on the streets of Sinoe as punishment for allegedly being involved with witchcraft activities.
The call for war and economic crimes court has continued to resonate among Liberians and has as well received the support of the U.S. House of Representatives.
However, President George Weah and his government have said that reconciling and uniting Liberians is a key for nation-building, and they have not voiced support for a war crimes court.
Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah
