Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance
Civic Spaces are Neccessary Spaces
Despite the promise of the TRC, in the 15 years since its report, political will in Liberia to implement its recommendations has been limited, particularly relating to prosecutions, sanctions, reparations and memorialization. This is a common problem in post-conflict settings – one that ISCS’s Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR) seeks to counteract by equipping survivors and their allies with the tools and platforms they need to advance justice and healing initiatives when national or political entities fail to do so. To this end, in June 2024, GIJTR began a one-year project in Liberia focused on enhancing the capacity of survivor groups to pursue transitional justice in the country, specifically in the areas of memorialization, digital archiving, forensics investigations and psychosocial support. The project seeks to complement the War and Economic Crimes Court, which was established by Liberian president Joseph Boakai in May 2024 in a historic and long-awaited move. With the support of local partner, the Peters Lutheran Church Massacre Survivors Association (LUMASA), GIJTR conducted a needs assessment in July 2024, meeting with over 70 individuals representing over a dozen CSOs and government ministry offices as well as survivors of the “Lutheran Massacre,” one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history in which the Armed Forces of Liberia murdered approximately 600 unarmed men, women and children who had sought refuge at a Red Cross shelter.
With local partner, LUMASA, part of ICSC’s focus in Liberia will be on conducting forensics assessments to facilitate reunification of remains to families of those killed.
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