Gongloe Blasts Senate’s “Domestic War Crimes Court” Proposal as Betrayal of Justice

Monrovia, Liberia: Former presidential candidate and human rights lawyer, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, has sharply criticized a new proposal by some members of the Liberian Senate seeking to establish a purely domestic War Crimes Court, calling it a “betrayal of justice and legislative bad faith.”

According to Gongloe, the move contradicts Joint Resolution #JR-001/2024, jointly passed by both Houses on April 8, 2024, which explicitly mandated the Executive Branch not the Senate to develop the legal framework for an Extraordinary Criminal Court for Liberia, in collaboration with international partners.

Cllr. Gongloe noted that the Joint Resolution clearly called for a UN-backed hybrid tribunal, involving both Liberian and international judges and prosecutors, under cooperation with the United Nations, European Union, and the U.S. Government.

He condemned the Senate’s new proposal as a direct violation of the Legislature’s own mandate, stressing that it undermines the transitional justice process rooted in the Accra Peace Agreement and Liberia’s international obligations.

“Nowhere did the Resolution authorize the Senate to unilaterally craft a domestic bill or reduce the envisioned hybrid tribunal into an ordinary national court,” Gongloe asserted. “This act reveals bad faith and a dangerous attempt to water down justice.”

Responding to claims that a purely Liberian court would protect national sovereignty, Gongloe described such arguments as “misplaced, hypocritical, and unpatriotic.”

He said the civil wars were fueled by corruption, abuse of power, and human rights violations, not foreign interference and excluding international participation now would dishonor the victims and violate international law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

“True sovereignty is exercised through justice, not isolation,” Gongloe emphasized. “Liberia cannot claim peace while shielding impunity.”

Cllr. Gongloe cited examples of successful hybrid courts across Africa the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal, and the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic which he said all delivered credible justice through international collaboration.

He reminded lawmakers that several Liberians have already been successfully prosecuted abroad for war crimes, with support from organizations like CIVITAS Maxima and the Global Justice and Research Project (GJRP).

“If justice for Liberian war crimes can happen in Philadelphia, London, and Paris why not in Monrovia under the right international framework?” he asked.

According to Gongloe, the War and Economic Crimes Court must remain a transitional justice mechanism, not an ordinary court, and must include both Liberian and foreign professionals to guarantee fairness and global confidence.

He warned that the Senate’s unilateral bill could produce “another compromised institution—strong on paper but weak in principle.”

Gongloe accused the Senate sponsors of choosing “political convenience over justice”, thereby threatening Liberia’s credibility and peace.

“Liberia must not walk away from its international humanitarian responsibilities,” he cautioned. “Only a hybrid, internationally anchored War and Economic Crimes Court can fulfill Liberia’s promise of ‘Never Again.’”

Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe is a Liberian human rights lawyer, former presidential candidate, and advocate for accountability and rule of law.