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  • August 22, 2013

    "No Money, No Justice"

    Police Corruption and Abuse in Liberia

    This 64-page report describes the multiple criminal activities by corrupt police officers, from charging crime victims for every stage of an investigation, to extorting goods from street vendors. These actions violate Liberians’ rights under international and national law and undermine public trust in the Liberia National Police.

  • July 25, 2012

    "Even a 'Big Man' Must Face Justice"

    Lessons from the Trial of Charles Taylor

    This 55-page report analyzes the practice and impact of Taylor’s trial by the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. The report examines the conduct of the trial, including issues related to efficiency, fairness, and witnesses and sources.

  • June 21, 2006

    Trying Charles Taylor in The Hague

    Making Justice Accessible to Those Most Affected

    On March 29, 2006 former Liberian President Charles Taylor was surrendered to the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. Taylor’s surrender for trial provides an extraordinary opportunity for the people of Sierra Leone and West Africa to see justice done for atrocities committed during Sierra Leone’s armed conflict since 1996.
  • September 30, 2005

    Liberia at a Crossroads

    Human Rights Challenges for the New Government

    This briefing paper warns that Liberia’s transition from a near-failed state to a democratic country governed by rule of law cannot be considered complete until there is considerably more progress in several key areas. First, Liberia’s judicial system, which remains plagued by striking deficiencies, must be rebuilt with the help of the international community.
  • April 13, 2005

    Youth, Poverty and Blood

    The Lethal Legacy of West Africa’s Regional Warriors

    The lives of “regional warriors” are documented in this 66-page report. Based on interviews with some 60 former fighters who have crossed borders to fight in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, the report explores the forces driving the phenomenon of cross-border mercenary activity in West Africa.

  • September 8, 2004

    Bringing Justice: the Special Court for Sierra Leone

    Accomplishments, Shortcomings, and Needed Support

    This 56-page report evaluates developments at the court, identifying achievements and making recommendations where operations should be improved. The report also urges the international community to provide more financial and political support for the court so it can complete its work effectively.
  • February 2, 2004

    How to Fight, How to Kill

    Child Soldiers in Liberia

    This 43-page report documents how more than 15,000 child soldiers fought on all sides of the Liberian civil war, and that many units were composed primarily of children. The report argues that establishing a firm peace in the West African nation will depend on the successful reintegration of child soldiers into civil society.
  • January 29, 2004

    Child Soldier Use 2003

    A Briefing for the 4th UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict

    Throughout 2003 thousands of children were deployed as combatants, to commit abuses against civilians, as sex slaves, forced labourers, messengers, informants and servants in continuing and newly erupting conflicts. Children were usually used to perform multiple roles, and girls in particular often acted as combatants as well as being sexually exploited.
  • January 21, 2004

    “The Guns are in the Bushes”

    Continuing Abuses in Liberia

    Despite significant changes in the political environment over the past six months, most notably the August 2003 signing of a peace agreement, the departure into exile of president Charles Taylor and the establishment of a newly-mandated United Nations peacekeeping mission, the plight of civilians in Liberia remains dire.
  • December 1, 2003

    Policy Paralysis

    A Call for Action on HIV/AIDS-Related Human Rights Abuses Against Women and Girls in Africa

    Violence and discrimination against women and girls is fueling Africa's AIDS crisis. African governments must make gender equality a central part of national AIDS programs if they are to succeed in fighting the epidemic.

  • August 5, 2003

    Trapped Between Two Wars

    Violence Against Civilians in Western Côte d'Ivoire

    This 55-page report documents widespread abuses against civilians in fighting following a September 2002 army mutiny. The abuses include summary executions, sexual violence against women and girls, and looting of civilian property by Ivorian government troops, government-supported civilian militias, and by the rebel groups.
  • November 25, 2002

    Liberian Refugees In Guinea

    Refoulement, Militarization of Camps, and Other Protection Concerns

    The United Nations Security Council should extend the arms embargo on Liberia to all rebel groups, and closely monitor the compliance of the Guinean government with that embargo, Human Rights Watch said today. The Guinean government’s close relationship with Liberian rebel groups is posing a serious threat to refugees’ security and protection in Guinea.
  • May 1, 2002

    Back to the Brink

    War Crimes By Liberian Government And Rebels

    The United Nations Security Council should maintain the arms embargo against the Liberian government, Human Rights Watch said in releasing a new report about abuses in Liberia today. Human Rights Watch also called for the arms embargo to be extended to cover the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), and for an end to Guinea’s support for the LURD. The U.N.
  • November 15, 2001

    No Questions Asked

    The Eastern Europe Arms Pipeline to Liberia

    In this briefing paper, Human Rights Watch builds on the U.N. experts’ report to examine the manner in which the Liberia arms embargo has been systematically breached to furnish weapons to gross human rights abusers. Much attention has been given in the past to the subject of individual arms traffickers and the transport networks they use to illegally deliver weapons to abusive end users.