Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission to Hold Public Hearings in the united states

Minneapolis/St. Paul (April 30, 2008) – For the first time in history, a nation’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hold official public hearings in the United States. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Liberia, along with its U.S. implementing partner, The Advocates for Human Rights, are pleased to announce that this historic event will take place in St. Paul, Minnesota during the week of June 9-14, 2008. All TRC Commissioners will travel from Liberia to Minnesota to preside over these thematic public hearings, which will be the only hearings held outside of Liberia .

Liberia is recovering from years of conflict characterized by egregious violations of human rights, including arbitrary killing, use of child combatants, rape and sexual violence, separation of families, and looting and destruction of property. Out of a population of 3 million, an estimated 250,000 people were killed, with as many as 1.5 million displaced. Of those who were forced to flee this violent conflict, many came to the U.S. because of the strong historical ties between the two countries. An estimated 30,000 Liberians live in Minnesota , but there are also tens of thousands of Liberians living in other U.S. cities.

The Liberian TRC was agreed upon in the August 2003 peace agreement and created by the TRC Act of 2005. The TRC was established to “promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation,” and at the same time make it possible to hold perpetrators accountable for gross human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law that occurred in Liberia between January 1979 and October 2003.

The U.S. public hearings will present the experience of Liberians in Diaspora. Witnesses will testify about the human rights abuses in Liberia that forced them to flee, their experiences in flight and in refugee camps, and the experience of resettlement in the U.S. The U.S. hearings will also provide an important opportunity for Liberians in the Diaspora to submit their experiences and recommendations directly to the TRC, which is mandated to make binding recommendations to the government of Liberia.

WHEN AND WHERE:

Dates: June 9-14, 2008

Location: Sundin Music Hall , Hamline University , 1536 Hewitt Avenue , Saint Paul , MN 55104

For Further Information:Visit: http://liberiatrc.mnadvocates.org/Public_Hearings.html

Or contact:

Jennifer Prestholdt, Deputy Director, The Advocates for Human Rights, 612-341-3302 ext. 111

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

About the Advocates for Human Rights

The mission of The Advocates for Human Rights is to implement international human rights standards to promote civil society and reinforce the rule of law. The Advocates for Human Rights was founded in 1983 by a group of Minnesota lawyers who recognized the community’s unique spirit of social justice as an opportunity to promote and protect human rights in the United States and around the world. The organization has produced more than 50 reports documenting human rights practices in more than 25 countries; educated over 10,000 students and community members on human rights issues; provided legal representation and assistance to over 3,000 disadvantaged individuals and families and works with partners overseas and in the United States to restore and protect human rights. The Advocates for Human Rights holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations.

About the Liberia TRC Diaspora Project

At the request of the Liberian Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC),

The Advocates is coordinating the work of the TRC in the Diaspora. Since January 2007, The Advocates has been collecting statements from Liberian refugees in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Buduburam Refugee Settlement in Ghana. The Advocates does not receive any funding from the TRC, but rather trains and supports more than 600 volunteers to provide nearly $4 million annually in pro bono services to the TRC.

While more than 30 countries have implemented some form of truth and reconciliation after periods of conflict and gross human rights violations, this Liberian TRC Diaspora Project is a new model of transitional justice. This is the first TRC to make a concerted effort to solicit from Diaspora communities both their stories of what happened to them and their families and their recommendations for reconciliation and systematic change. This groundbreaking project gives Liberians in Diaspora a voice in the promotion of international justice and human rights as part of the truth, justice, accountability and reconciliation processes in Liberia .