03 June 2008

Lofa County, Liberia: I am Geoffrey Omon, a Ugandan by nationality. I am a lawyer by profession. I joined the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) as a UNV Judicial Systems Monitor on 14 November 2007. I help the legal system operate as it should. 

Under the Legal and Judicial Systems Support Division of UNMIL, I currently monitor, observe, advise and report on judicial processes in civil and criminal matters in Lofa County – where the war that was fought in Liberia originated.

In my duties, I consult and discuss with defendants, party litigants, prosecutors, court staff, legal professionals, prisons officials and the police concerning cases being processed in the courts. I advise these justice officials on the appropriate law and international legal standards to be applied in the dispensation of justice.

In case tracking, for example, I check on institutional documents like police records to ascertain when a suspect was arrested and taken to court; court records to see how the court handled the case; and prison records to understand the inmate’s situation in prison.

This process facilitates easier access to justice by the vulnerable populace and also guarantees that justice institutions do not only dispense justice in the most appropriate manner but also ensure that it is seen to be dispensed without sale, denial, delay, discrimination, fear or favour.

For example, through my monitoring role I once noted a group of people in prolonged prison detention without trial. I brought the matter to the attention of the magistrate who had remanded them, and persuaded him to take appropriate action.

I did this by drawing his attention to the relevant provisions of the Liberian Constitution and Criminal Procedure Law that prohibit such an arbitrary prolonged pre-trial detention. The magistrate acknowledged the issue, released those detainees whose cases were under his jurisdiction, and transferred those cases that were above his jurisdiction to the superior court (Circuit Court).

My work is receiving some recognition. For example, during a meeting with UNMIL personnel in Lofa County on 12 April 2008, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Rule of Law, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, recognized and congratulated me for my reports: she said she found them very analytical and comprehensive. My supervisors also recognize my contributions to the Mission’s mandate and I thank God for this accomplishment.

Before joining UNMIL, I was working for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Uganda as a National Human Rights Programme Assistant based in the war-torn north of Uganda - the vicinity where I was born. I was engaged in monitoring, investigating and reporting violations of human rights.

Additionally, as OHCHR's Focal Person, I supported the Uganda Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (UTFMR) with the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005) on the prevention of grave child rights violations. Furthermore, I assisted the office in leading research on transitional justice, accountability and reconciliation in northern Uganda.

An imperative cause for leaving my own vulnerable community, the Acholi of war-ravaged northern Uganda, was to associate with and support the vulnerable Liberian community in a collective and universal effort to reinforce the rule of law in post-conflict situations. Additionally, I desired to work at an international level. I am happy that my dreams are coming true.