HRPF Letter sent to the President regarding delay in the INCHR appointment process March 19, 2007

[Find hereunder the letter sent by Human Rights and Protection Forum (HRPF) 45 Carey Street Garnett Building, Monrovia, Liberia, to the President of Liberia and circulated among civil society groups]
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Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
President of the Republic Of Liberia

March 19, 2007

Dear Madam President,

We are concerned over the delay in reconstituting the Independent National Commission on Human Rights according to Article IX of the INCHR Act 2005.

As Your Excellency is aware, it is already about two months that the Independent Committee of Experts (ICE), the civil society group convened by the Chief Justice of Liberia in December 2005, recommended to you the list of 11 persons to be considered for the appointment of seven-member team of Chief Commissioner and Commissioners of the Commission as envisaged by the law.

As you are aware, according to the INCHR Act the President is to consider only such persons for the purpose of appointment for the position of Chairperson or Commissioners who are on the list of persons recommended by an independent committee of experts formed by the Chief Justice in consultation with the civil society organizations. The approval of the Senate is also part of the appointment process.

Meanwhile, I also take this opportunity to emphasize that in order to have functional independent national institution of human rights the persons recommended for review and consideration should not be politically controversial and reflect, to the extent possible, the pluralist nature of Liberian society in terms of sex, ethnicity, language and religion as well as have the representation of nongovernmental organizations or professional associations involved in the protection and promotion of human rights.

In this context, I would like to draw your attention to the current list which is consists of politically controversial names, needs to be avoided in order to make sure that the Commissioners appointed by you are able to maintain their professional independence and impartiality.

The list is also gender blind in its composition. There is only one woman in the list of 11 persons, which gives no choice to the President to create a more gender-balanced institution.

In view of these comments, may I take this opportunity to request you to kindly ask the Independent Committee of Experts to send Your Excellency the list of all women candidates who applied for these positions, or were recommended to the Committee by public in large, on their merit basis, so that Your Excellency can have enough space for making appropriate choices, and creating a credible national institution.

Finally, Your Excellency, the urgency of constituting the Commission as soon as possible cannot be overemphasized. The human rights organizations in the non-governmental sector emphasize once again that the INCHR is their organization and they have full commitment to work with the government in institutionalizing the Independent National Commission on Human Rights as a credible national institution of Liberia.

Please accept Your Excellency the assurances of my highest consideration

Sincerely Yours,

Mr. Matthew B. White
Acting Chairman
Human Rights Protection Forum (HRPF)

Cc: UNDP, UNMIL, and Human Rights Organizations