MONROVIA, Montserrado – A partnership of civil society organizations in Liberia is calling for guidelines to guarantee the respect for human rights during the national state of emergency.

President George Weah declared a three-week national state of emergency on April 8 as an additional measure to contain the Coronavirus pandemic after the government previously declared a national health emergency.

Under the declaration, the president announced several new measures, including a 14-day lockdown for the four affected counties and placed a ban on inter-county travels. However, the declaration did not include a detailed regulations, such as penalties for violators.

The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform issued a statement on Monday and reminded the government of international guidelines and observations and recommendations made after the 2014 state of emergency was declared by former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during the Ebola outbreak.

During the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, soldiers from the Armed Forces of Liberia fatally shot 15-year-old Shaki Kamara on August 20 in 2014 while enforcing a quarantine order in West Point.

Among those international guidelines is for governments to effectively investigate all allegations of human rights violations committed during a state of emergency, with the intention of bringing perpetrators to justice and providing victims with effective remedies.

According to the civil society organizations, the government cannot properly address the grave nature of the Coronavirus without a well-coordinated plan and collaboration with national and international partners, given its poor performance during the Ebola crisis.

The statement from the groups recommended that the guideline formulated by the government should spell out how citizens would be expected to comply with the announced measures and how security forces should conduct themselves.

“The national guidelines should spell out the responsibilities of the government as guarantor of human rights, the role of the International community and the Civil Society Human Rights body in the fight against the Coronavirus (pandemic) in Liberia,” the statement also read.

The group emphasized the need for officials to use “nonviolent means as far as possible before resorting to force.”

“Whenever the lawful use of force is unavoidable, law enforcement officials must use restraint, minimize damage and injury at all times, and respect and preserve human life,” the statement added.

It also asked that all restrictions should be clearly defined, well publicized, and subject to monitoring through the use of public hearings before lawmakers, national human rights institutions, and by independent groups operating.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah