Africa-Press – Liberia. Renowned human rights lawyer and former presidential candidate, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, has called on the Liberian Legislature to urgently ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, emphasizing that Liberia must reclaim its moral compass and fulfill its founding promise of being a sanctuary for human rights.
Gongloe made the passionate appeal on Tuesday, July 16, 2025, while chairing a one-day stakeholders’ forum at the Carina Hotel in Sinkor, held under the theme: “The Influence of Human Rights Courts on the Protection of Human Rights at Domestic Level.”
“Liberia, a country founded as an asylum from oppression and other forms of injustice, now stands at a defining moment in its human rights journey,” Gongloe said. “Liberia should have become a human rights paradise. It is a historic failure that we must do everything to correct.”
The forum brought together representatives from government, civil society, traditional leadership, academia, and the private sector, to build consensus and develop actionable recommendations that will help persuade the Legislature to ratify the Protocol, which has already been submitted by President Joseph Boakai for consideration.
The protocol, which aims to grant individuals direct access to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, is part of the broader African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights—commonly referred to as the Banjul Charter. The Charter, a product of the 1979 Monrovia Summit of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), was adopted in 1981 in Banjul, The Gambia, and entered into force in 1986.
Gongloe reminded the audience that while Liberia played a historic role in shaping the African human rights landscape, it remains one of the few African countries yet to ratify the court’s protocol, thus denying its citizens full access to regional justice mechanisms.
“Under the African Charter, there are two main implementing bodies: the African Commission based in Banjul and the African Court based in Arusha, Tanzania,” he said. “Ratifying the protocol would not only empower victims of abuse in Liberia but would also strengthen our own institutions by reinforcing accountability.”
Gongloe did not shy away from confronting Liberia’s own checkered record of impunity and questionable official narratives surrounding suspicious deaths.
“Liberia must never again be associated with inexplicable deaths—like those of Harry Greaves or the four auditors, nor with the forced return of persecuted individuals,” he said. “We should not accept very strange official claims such as a presidential security officer, Melvin Early, committed suicide by shooting himself three times, or that AFL soldier Sgt. Merdeh shot himself six times. These narratives undermine our moral authority and tarnish the promise of asylum on which this nation was founded.”
He also cited past human rights violations, including the controversial deportation of a Sierra Leonean police chief under the previous CDC government and a Guinean national under the current administration—both cases involving the return of individuals to countries where they allegedly faced persecution.
According to Gongloe, ratifying the Protocol would bring multiple benefits to Liberia. It would strengthen protection of civil and political rights, ensure greater accountability for human rights violations, boost investor confidence through alignment with international norms, and enhance mechanisms to fight discrimination, torture, and arbitrary detention.
“The ratification of the Protocol will empower Liberians by granting all victims of human rights abuse direct access to the African Court,” he noted.
Gongloe concluded with an emotional reminder of Liberia’s original identity and moral duty: “If you do not remember anything I have said here today, please remember this: Liberia was meant to be a human rights paradise. We must make it happen. It is a collective responsibility, and the time to begin is now!”
The forum is expected to produce a set of policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider as part of the ratification process. Liberia’s decision to ratify or delay, Gongloe warned, will be a reflection of its commitment—or lack thereof—to justice, dignity, and human rights for all.
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