-Rallies legislators
As Rights Groups attack the Biden Administration and accuse War Crimes Campaigners and Human Rights groups of fraud, GUJAN Calls on the National Legislature to conduct a fully skilled investigation aimed at guaranteeing fair trial for would-be indictees.
At a news conference Monday, June 24, 2024, in Monrovia, GUJAN Executive Director, Atty Abraham Godsent Wheon said the institution has taken a keen interest in Human Rights groups’ credibility and integrity issues raised at the recent Tom Lantus Human Rights congressional hearings on the Next Step toward accountability for War and economic crimes in Liberia and therefore calls on the national legislature to take siege and probe the matter.
Atty. Wheon said his organization was greeted with shock when other Human Rights advocates Allen Whites, Co-Executive Director for the Advocacy Foundation for Human Rights, Alvin Smith of International Justice Group, and Michael Rubin Senior Fellow, of the American Enterprise Institute while serving as witnesses during Thursday’s hearing accused, the Switzerland-based Civitas International headed by Alian Werner and Global Justice and Research Project (GJRP) Executive Director Hassan Bility as well as California-based Center for Justice and Accountability, of human rights frauds that have significantly undermined the integrity needed in bringing war crimes perpetrators to justice.
Atty Wheon: “The trio said both Werner and Bility coached witnesses to give testimonies against their targets whom they made to be arrested and prosecuted in foreign jurisdictions. They referenced, Gibril Massaquoi, and Agnes Reeves Taylor among others whose trials were held in foreign Jurisdictions but after the trials, the accused were acquitted on grounds that there was no evidence to trace and link them to war crimes.”
GUJAN says it was even more troubling when the trio Allen, Alvin, and Michael even linked the United States Ambassador Beth Van Shaack, Ambassador-Large for Global Crimes Justice for promoting and facilitating the alleged fraudulent deeds of both Werner and Bility.
“Ambassador Beth had made travels to West Africa and met with Hassan Bility on her Liberia’s visit and did invite Bility to Washington, something which infuriated Michael Rubin to publish an article in April 2024 damming the Biden administration for turning blind eyes on Human rights fraud.”
He recalled, “Allen, Alvin, and Michael during the June 13 hearing recommended strongly to Congress for the exclusion of these Human Rights groups as well as the recusal of Ambassador Berth in any programs relating to the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes court in Liberia.”
Despite all of these egregious claims made, Elizabeth EvensonDirector of, the International Justice Program, Human Rights Watch who represented Werner’s Civitas Maxima International Bility’s Global Justice and Research Project (GJRP) and other civil society organizations at the hearing spoke of the organizations’ incredible history in successfully campaigning against human rights violations including war crimes.
Atty. Wheon noted, “Another Witness, Adama Dempster of the Civil Society Network of Liberia for his part said, that the allegations raised against the Human Rights groups which he admitted working with are strange and concerning and wants an investigation launched. Also at the top of the panelists’ table, Congressman Chris Smith in his opening remarks appeared to have concurred with the allegations raised against Warren and Bility while Co-Chair James P. Mcgovern appeared more concerned about people making wide allegations against people who were not present to defend themselves.”
GUJAN sees these developments as scary and wants the Liberian Legislature to jointly investigate and make appropriate recommendations to the War Crimes Court Local office or the United States Congressional body that has oversight on the matter.
GUJAN believes that since this is going to be a Liberian-led effort, it is very crucial for human rights activists and groups that will play significant roles such as witness protection and investigations should no questionable credibility and integrity issues. “This is people’s life and character we are discussing here.”
His words: “In criminal law, Blackstone’s ratio (also known as Blackstone’s formulation) is the idea that Ten guilty persons should escape than that one innocent suffer.”
