The Liberia Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (LICHRD) is calling on commissioners of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) to reject government’s intervention into the internal disputes amongst commissioners.
In a release issued June 12, 2024, LICHRD said its attention “has been drawn to the Wednesday, June 5, 2024 publication of the Heritage Newspaper, Vol 27, No. 355,516, captioned, ‘Executive Mansion to Probe Abnormalities At H/Rights Commission’. Paragraph 1 of the story states, ‘It has been gathered and confirmed by the Legal Office of the Executive Mansion that it has taken charge of all forms of hullabaloos at the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR).’ This is an absolute violation of the Standard Operation Procedures of the Commission, and a usurpation of civil society duties and responsibilities. The Executive nor the Legal Advisor of the President has the authority to mitigate any dispute emanating from the commission, except for civil society organizations or eminent person(s) as indicated in the Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) of the Commission.”
According to the release, “The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), 6.3 Grievance Procedures for Commissioners: counts 5&6 state: ‘5: If the Chairperson is the subject of the complaint, the complaint shall be made to the Board of Commissioners (six commissioners excluding the chairperson); 6: If the Board of six Commissioners fails to resolve the dispute, the dispute shall be referred to mediators from civil society or eminent persons who the commission reposed confidence in (bear in mind that any complaint from a commissioner against another commissioner to the Executive, Judiciary or Legislature undermines the commission’s autonomy).’ These provisions, as mentioned, are clear testaments of the violation of the Executive Masion to melt in the internal disputes of the commission.”
Henceforth, the release said, the Liberia Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (LICHRD) calls on the Executive Mansion to refrain from usurping the functions of civil society, and also calls on the commission not to compromise its autonomy/independence. “LICHRD wish to inform the government that the coalition has met with the commissioners and a comprehensive dialogue meeting is soon to be scheduled,” the LICHRD’s release observed.
“The failure of the Executive Mansion to stay off the internal disputes of the commissioners will lead the coalition to file a writ of prohibition against the Office of Legal Advisor to the President.
“The Liberia Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (LICHRD) is also calling on the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR), Swedish Embassy, the United Embassy, European Union (EU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU) to request the Government of Liberia [GOL] to approve the Draft National Human Rights Defenders Policy.
“Meanwhile, the coalition, with support from the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), has begun a series of awareness activities in relation to the Draft National Human Rights Defenders Policy,” the release stated.