By Joseph Sherman
Washington, D.C. U.S.A
The gruesome sight of a lifeless and battered body of
Alfred Tamba, a Taxi Driver, who was beaten to death by residents of St.
.Paul Bridge Community on February 21, 2006, and another incident of that
nature which took place in Monrovia on August 11, 2005 as publicized in the
Liberian Observer website, rekindles memories of jungle justice and
disrespect for the rule of law since Liberia became a lawless and pariah
state in 1989. The beatings or lynching to death of these alleged
miscreants in Monrovia is an indication that people are fast losing their
faith in the law enforcement agencies. While I cannot condone people
taking law into their hands, I understand the level of frustration that can
lead to such occurrences.
Group killing of alleged criminals has become frequent
in Liberia. These incidents are not accidental, but the product of a legal
system that has proved itself incapable of dispensing justice objectively
and a police force ignorant of the rule of law.
When policing and judicial practices fail, jungle
justice becomes a form of trial delivering instant remedy to appease the
appetites of people made insecure. Without recourse to legitimate remedies,
people resort to savage revenge. In most cases, what we call jungle
justice, which is dealing with a thief on the spot, serves as a deterrent.
When such a thief or criminal is handed over to the police they may later
release him or her due to lack of proper evidence or bribery. There are
many cases where innocent citizens have been killed due to mistaken identity
or self protection measures.
These recent killings in Monrovia clearly violates
article (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
which states that “Every human being has the inherent right to life.” This
right shall be protected by law. “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of
his or her life.” They also violate the right to fair trial enshrined in
article 14 of the ICCPR.
The practice of mob justice in Liberia, however, is
rooted in the country’s failure to develop from time immemorial a
functioning criminal investigation system, without which there can be no
fair trial. In the absence of criminal procedure, elements of the public
are being encouraged to seek violent alternatives.
The Government of Liberia is obliged to bring this
practice to an end and prosecute all those who have engaged in it. As mob
justice has been legitimized through both the passive participation and
lackadaisical attitude of the police, the government of Liberia should
initiates a legal and judicial reform system that will prohibit mob justice
and make fair trial a possibility in country.
P.S. This article was first published in 2005 prior
to this latest incident of the late Alfred Tamba. It is intended as a
clarion call for the newly elected government of President Ellen-Sirleaf to
find a solution to the degenerating situation of Mob Justice in Liberia.
About The Author: Joseph S. Sherman (MIP, MSA)
was a broadcast journalist with the erstwhile ELCM Radio, Monrovia, Liberia,
and former general editor of the FOOTPRINTS newspaper in Freetown, Sierra
Leone. At present he is Features Editor of the Cocorioko online newspaper,
and Director of a multi-cultural Adult Education Center in Washington DC
