Liberia´s Justice Minister Cllr. Christiana Tah

Minister Tah stressed this will require greater community involvement through the empowerment of their local leaders including Chiefs, Elders and other prominent traditional folks.

The Attorney General of Liberia said already some traditional leaders have expressed willingness to synchronize some of the draconian aspects of their customary laws.
Liberia’s Justice Minister Counselor Christina Tah has been speaking about Access to Justice in Liberia.

Speaking at the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) press briefing recently, Cllr. Tah said the harmonization of both customary and formal judicial systems is key to promoting access to justice in the country.

According to her, these are in total violation of basic human rights, and contravene Liberia’s commitment to the protection of international treaties.

Cllr Tah, the second female Justice Minister under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, intimated that findings from a survey conducted by the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) and the Center For the Study of African Economy at Oxford University show that an overwhelming number of Liberians believe in the customary or informal justice system.

“Report from the Legal working Group over a year ago is similar to that of the USIP,” Cllr. Tah mentioned.

She expressed concern that reports of such with similar outcome cannot be resisted, especially when reaction from the citizenry are tremendously related. The soft spoken Justice Minister believe that if both the formal and informal justice systems are harmonized, Liberians will receive the greatest amount of service.

Some of the impediments responsible for citizens’ lack of trust in the justice system, according to the two organizations’ findings, range from expenses associated with the justice system, judicial complication or literally lack of access to judicial facilities (police station or court). Though lack of access to justice involves more than just the physical presence of a structure, Cllr. Tah praised the UNMIL for recently constructing judicial facilities in some parts of Southeastern Liberia.

Minister Tah says recent outcome from a just ended judicial conference placed premium on “Trial by ordeal or Sassaywood”. The sassywood process is the use of traditional concoction or charms to determine innocence or guilt of one accused of committing a particular act. Through this means individuals indicted either drink substances one cannot drink under normal circumstances or the placing of hot metals on the skin of those indicted. The guilt of the perpetrator is then determined if one is harmed by the administration of said practice.

But contrary to Cllr. Tah’s proposition, several citizens over a month ago were arrested in Maryland County, southeastern Liberia for their alleged role in ritualistic killings. Prominent among those arrested was the Government of Liberia Chief Persecutor assigned in Maryland County, Fulton Yancy and a Special Presidential Envoy, Dan Morias. The accused were apprehended based on a witch doctor’s discovery of substances alleged to be human parts. She said the specimens have been sent to Ghana to determine the actual identity. The two high profile government officials have since been released on bail, while the others are still in jail.

Meanwhile, former CID chief Lemuel Reeves said the harmonization of both justice systems can be achieved when the advantages and disadvantages of both systems are identified. Cllr. Reeves said this will include the introduction of Psychic Detectives. He said this system is practiced in other parts of the world and have great potential of generating results. According to him, Psychic Detectives are different from witch doctors.
Cllr. Reeves works with the Carter Center’s Access to Justice Program in Liberia.

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