The United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has ended a two-day post electoral dialogues with the Independent National Commission for Human Rights (INCHR) and civil society organizations on key lessons learned from the general and presidential elections held in 2023 with a call on human rights actors to carry out robust human rights monitoring across the country.
The OHCHR made the statement during a two-day dialogue held in Gompa, Nimba County, from September 19-20, 2024, with three human rights actors including the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, on lessons learned following the 2023 general and presidential elections in Liberia.
Speaking on behalf of the OHCHR during the opening session of the two-days intensive dialogue held in Gompa, Nimba County, OHCHR human rights officer, Roosevelt Jayjay, called on human rights actors to monitor and report all forms of human rights abuse and violation with a mind to improve the human rights situation in the country, saying, “Our monitoring must excite state actors to take steps that will address key human rights concerns and hold abusers and/or violators accountable.”
The UN human rights officer added, “As human rights officers, it is our bond duties to ensure that the state addresses accountability and transparency in all sectors of government and the community so as to ensure the peace, security and stability of rights holders.”
Jayjay pledged OHCHR’s continuous support to the government of Liberia and its partners to address all human rights issues which he described as key to the peace and security of the state, noting “human rights are fundamental pillars for democracy which includes the promotion of the rule of law, good governance and the protection and promotion of laws that protect human rights and the dignity of the person.”
“We, duty bearers, must be guided by these ethics to ensure that the state upholds the principle that protects, promotes and fulfill human rights, good governance and the rule of law and allows rights holders to claim their rights.”
In an overview of the dialogue, Jayjay explained that the dialogue is part of the PBF Elections Project, aimed at fostering peaceful electoral environments before, during, and after elections saying, “This initiative focuses on conflict prevention and mitigating the spread of insecurity, human rights violations, and electoral violence.”
He acknowledged that Liberia’s 2023 legislative and presidential elections were widely commended for being peaceful, transparent, free, and fair.
However, he pointed out that significant concerns were raised about the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) as both voters and candidates.
These concerns were highlighted by several election observation missions and the United Nations as areas requiring improvement, stressing
OHCHR’s crucial role in advocating for human rights during the elections.
“The OHCHR’s 2023 elections report included several key recommendations, such as enhancing institutional capacities, improving gender representation, and ensuring accountability for electoral-related violence and human rights abuses. The report also underscored the importance of ongoing collaboration with security forces, civil society, and electoral bodies to maintain a transparent, fair, and rights-respecting election process,” Jayjay added.
He noted that in its support of election monitoring, OHCHR partnered with three institutions including the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), Integrity Watch of Liberia, and the CSO Human Rights Advocacy Platform, that were involved in election monitoring from a human rights perspective.
Findings from these institutions revealed certain gaps in the election process, particularly challenges in accessing necessary funds; a key lesson learned during the project, emphasizing that the current dialogues with grantees aims to review both the successes and challenges in implementing OHCHR’s recommendations.
The dialogue focused on deepening understanding of human rights issues that arose during the elections, such as gender-based violence and electoral violence.
The goal is to develop strategies for the National Elections Commission (NEC), INCHR, and other stakeholders to address the gaps in human rights protections during elections and to strengthen collaboration between civil society organizations, NEC, INCHR, and other institutions to improve accountability for electoral-related violence and human rights violations.
The Executive Director of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) is calling on human rights actors to make their presence felt in all sectors of government across the country through joint monitoring and reporting on thematic human rights issues.
“It doesn’t look good that we as partners monitor the same situation or visit the same community or facility separately to ask the same question. It makes our work boring and our interviewee uninteresting. It rather adds value to our work and various institutions and at the same time establish our presence when we move jointly to monitor or investigate a particular incident or a community,” Urias Teh Pouh said.
He pledged that INCHR as the lead human rights institution in the country will engage civil society organizations and other local and international groups working for the promotion and protection of human rights to conduct joint monitoring exercises across the country.
“We will exercise our full capacity to engage with our partners to carry out joint monitoring. This is intended to establish our presence in the field,” he said.
Meanwhile, two civil society organizations in Liberia, the Civil Society Organization Platform (CSO Platform) and Integrity Watch-Liberia (IW-Liberia) are calling on the government to criminalize hate speech and instill tougher punishment on would-be violators, claiming that hate speech is the main driver of violence in any society, noting the Rwanda genocide as an example.
In separate presentation during the group working sessions, the CSOs want government and her partners to denounce hate speeches and call to attention citizens including politicians, media practitioners, as well as government actors who use their various platforms, offices or institution to discharge hate speeches to attack, defame and insult other citizens especially women, youths, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in political spaces.
“While we understand that Article 15 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia and the Table Mountain Declaration promote free speech and the freedom of expression, the same article provides that those enjoying these rights should also take responsibility thereof. This is why we want the government to instill tougher punishment on anyone found guilty or using their platform to spew lies, insult, instill fear in the people and defame his or her fellow citizen. Hate speech is the main instigator of violence in any society,” Sia Sulon said.
She added, “They often shield themselves behind the Constitution and other international human rights laws that promote freedom to use hate speeches and other aggressive verbal languages to attack, defame and insult other key political actors, especially women, youths, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups before, during and after electoral processes.”
“This is not good for our society and democracy. Hate speeches are major tools to undermine the workings and progress of any institution and instigate violence in the community,” the INCHR Executive Director said, stressing that when criminalized, as a way of expressing their political and other views especially against women and persons with disabilities.
“We should also use various human rights mechanisms to name and shame all those hiding under local and international human rights laws to use hate speeches. “Let them be brought to public notice. Officials of government using hate speeches should be dismissed from their posts and prosecuted like all other persons for perpetrating violence through their use of hate speech,” a staff of IW-Liberia, Mac-Arthur Marshall, said.
“If the government begins to take such action against itself, I believe that all of us will fall in line,” he added.
