Washington DC, USA – February 18, 2020: The Washington DC based International Justice Group (IJG) is repeating calls to “the Weah regime in Liberia to consider the full implementation of all recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report; especially the establishment of the Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for War and Economic Crimes in Liberia contained in the TRC and emphasized by the U.S. House Resolution 1055 as the inescapable precondition for sustainable peace, unity and reconciliation in Liberia.”
According to a press statement issued and copied to African Star on Monday under the signature of the Executive Director of the rights, advocacy and research organization, it condemned Acts of Brutality and Impunity. “We condemn the rising acts of human rights violations in Liberia and the indifference to these Crimes against humanity by the perverse George Weah government,” and questioned circumstances surrounding the death of Liberian broadcast journalist Zenu Miller.
Mr. Miller was allegedly brutalized by Officers of the EPS in late January and had complained a last week about feeling pain. He died over the weekend at a local hospital in Monrovia The official cause of death has not been disclosed. African Star cannot independently conclude any attribution of the death of the journalist to Liberia state security but accusing fingers have been pointed at the EPS for contributing to the demise of Mr. Miller.
The strongly worded statement also condemned the “alleged denial of Honorable Yekeh Kolubah, the right to travel abroad to seek medical treatment. The right to travel, free movement and of speech are so fundamental to the very existence of mankind that the Constitution of Liberia considers them inalienable, therefore must never be taken away, violated or denied so lightly for doing so is denying the very existence of man himself,” the IJG asserted. Representative Kolubah is a sitting lawmaker and vocal critic of the Weah Government who has reportedly been denied foreign travel for medical attention.
In the statement entitled “Gangsters Paradise II: Dark Days Are Returning – Journalist Dies At Brutal Hands of President George Weah Security Forces,” the IJG charged that “No investigation is a coverup. While the full circumstances leading up to the death of Journalists Zenu Miller are yet to be independently established, his death occurring less than a month subsequent to his deliberate brutalization, we draw natural presumptions that Miller’s demise most likely than not, was the consequence of internal injuries inflicted by the brutal hands of evil men in the security forces of President Weah, who along with their direct supervisor, Mr. Trokon Roberts are the perpetrators of the heinous crime and must be brought to justice for murder…”
The IJG has been highly critical of the refusal of the Weah Administration to implement recommendations of the country’s TRC which ended its work since 2012. The rights organization also took the initiative of compiling a dossier of alleged rights abuses by a high ranking member of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change political party and City Mayor of Monrovia Mr. Jefferson Koijee . The IJG forwarded the dossier to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and called on that world body to open an investigation against Mr. Koijee who has denied committing any rights abuses in Liberia.
The IJG statement drew comparisons between the current Administration and prior Liberian regimes characterizing it as ‘Reminders of the Bad Days’. According to Counselor Verdier, “Mr. Weah is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies like the late President Doe, his idol and mentor for all purposes of role model and gratitude. He credits his exploits in soccer to all the late President did for him and is hurt, depressed and fanatical about President Doe and grieves over his brutal dealt, to this date.”
The statement called for a comprehensive investigation into the death of the Liberian journalist and its publication. The Committee To Protect Journalist (CPJ) has also called for investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Miller.
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