Liberia
This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.
For Liberia, TJET has collected information on: seven amnesties between 1979 and 2005; 14 domestic trials starting between 1980 and 2018; six foreign trials starting between 2012 and 2018; one international trial starting in 2003; one truth commission mandated in 2005; and one vetting policy starting in 2003.
Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.
Country Background
Democratic Transition
Based on well-known democracy data, TJET records one democratic transition starting in 2005.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Violent Conflict
Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records five violent intrastate conflict episodes between 1980 and 2003 (during seven calendar years), involving five distinct armed opposition groups fighting against the government.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions. Source: UCDP Dyadic Dataset version 23.1, https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/index.html#dyadic.
Transitional Justice Data
As of 2020, Liberia ranks 94th out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.
Amnesties
Liberia had seven amnesties between 1979 and 2005. One occurred in the context of democratic transition. One was passed during ongoing internal armed conflict. Four were passed after internal armed conflict. Two were part of a peace agreement. Two amnesties released political prisoners. One amnesty forgave human rights violations.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Domestic Trials
TJET has compiled data on 14 domestic prosecutions between 1980 and 2018. These include twelve regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which nine persons were convicted; one intrastate conflict prosecution of state agents, in which one person was convicted; and one intrastate conflict prosecution of opposition members, in which one person was convicted.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
International or Hybrid Trials
Nationals of Liberia were subject to one international prosecution between 2003 and 2012, which led to one conviction.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Foreign Trials
Nationals of Liberia were defendants in six foreign prosecutions in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America beginning between 2012 and 2018.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Truth Commissions
Liberia mandated one truth commission in 2005. The commission completed its operations in 2009. The commission issued a final report, which is publicly available. The report included recommendations for prosecutions, reparations, and institutional reforms.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Vetting Policies
Liberia had one vetting policy, starting in 2003; TJET found no information on whether or when the policy ended. This policy provided sanctions based on past individual conduct.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
UN Investigations
Liberia was subject to one UN investigation in 1993.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Perceptions Survey Data
Liberia 2010
Context
This study was undertaken seven years after the end of the civil war, between 1989 and 2003, which left hundreds of thousands of dead, and many more affected by the extreme violence that ravaged the country. The survey took place just after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded its work with a final report and recommendations to ensure accountability and reparations.
Methods
The selection of respondents for the survey was based on a standard random multi-stage cluster sampling procedure. We first selected Enumeration Areas (EAs), which are geographic areas developed for census canvassing by the Liberian government. A total of 260 EAs were selected throughout the country. The number of EAs assigned to each county reflected the population size of that county relative to the national population, with a minimum of 12 EAs per county. At the second stage, researchers selected 16 households within each EA using a geographic method (EPI method). Interviewers then randomly selected one adult to be interviewed from a list of all eligible respondents. In total, 4,501 randomly selected adults were interviewed.
Results
A majority of respondents is willing to forgive those who were responsible for the violence. Although most respondents reported relatively high awareness of the Truth and Reconciliation Commision’s existence, almost all knew very little about it. Respondents proposed financial compensation, housing, and education as measures for victims.
Hover over column labels for definitions.
For attribution, please cite this survey as:
Patrick Vinck, Phuong Pham, and Tino Kreutzer, “Talking Peace: A Population-Based Survey on Attitudes about Security, Dispute Resolution, and Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Liberia,” research report (Berkeley, CA: Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley, June 2011).