SPECIAL: We Talk to Taiwan Gongloe, Veteran Human Rights Lawyer, About the Rocky Start to Liberia's War Crimes Courts and What He Wants to See Next

Liberia: Democracy in Focus

Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens.

In June President Joseph Boakai, appointed Liberian lawyer Jonathan Massaquoi as Executive Director of the newly established Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts. Ever since, a chorus of key stakeholders including leading human rights advocates, and the umbrella body of lawyers in the country - the Bar Association – has condemned the appointment and the lack of transparency around it.

Massaquoi has represented accused perpetrators from convicted warlord Charles Taylor’s rebel faction in legal cases against human rights actors and advocates say that will undermine public trust in the courts. Massaquoi has yet to recuse himself from those cases.

Most worrying for backers of the court, diplomats from major international donor countries that would be called upon to foot the multi-million dollar cost of the court, have also told New Narratives they are concerned about the process for the appointment.

To learn more about advocates’ concerns I spoke with veteran Liberian human rights lawyer Taiwan Gongloe. Gongloe has long been a champion of human rights in Liberia, representing many human rights activists. He’s a former head of the Bar Association and helped draft the bills that have gone to the Legislature to establish the court. He also ran for president in last year’s election.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish and US embassies in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org