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Liberia: U.N. Travel Ban Hunts New Lawmakers-Jewel, Snowe, Dolo Fight Back
Dec 27, 2005
Author: J. Cholo Brooks/Liberia

Three newly elected members of the Liberian parliament in the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf led Government may likely forfeit a pending international parliamentary workshop scheduled to be held in the Ghanaian capital, Accra due to the U.N. travel ban imposed on them for their role played in the Liberian civil war.

The three newly elected members include former Liberian First Lady, Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor who won the Senior Senatorial seat for Bong County, former President Taylor’s Son-In-Law, Edwin M. Snowe who was also elected as Representative for Montserrado County and former NPFL General, Adolphuss Dolo who won the Nimba county Senatorial seat, were among those caught in the United Nations travel ban web.

Over 95 members of the Liberian parliament have been invited to attend a weeklong refresher workshop with their Ghanaian counterparts. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will sponsor the workshop.

Last week some members of the current National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) called on the United Nations to maintain its travel ban on those Liberians recently elected to the National Legislature to abstain them from attending the Accra refresher workshop.

The NTLA members over the weekend told reporters in Monrovia that “it was indeed “outrageous to some of those elected in the house with taunted human rights record to represent Liberia at any international workshop”, a member of the NTLA who perceived this planned Accra workshop as a joke told our Monrovia Correspondent.

In reaction to the NTLA recommendation to the U.N. Security Council, the lawmakers elect collectively expressed shock for being placed on the U.N. travel ban list and called on the U.N. Security Council to revisit the list and exonerate them. Adding, “our hands are clean, what all we did was done in the interest of our people”, Senator elect Dolo told our reporter in Monrovia, he did not however elaborate.

For her part, the former Liberian First Lady, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor on a local radio station decried her placement on the U.N. travel ban list, “I can’t remember violating the rights of individuals during the tenure of my husband presidency”, the former Liberian First Lady recounted.

Edwin Snowe who is opting for the speakership in the new parliament repeatedly denounced being listed on the U.N. travel ban, “what did I do to be listed on the U.N. travel ban?” He asked in a confused state, and said he was ready at all time to be profiled as to his involvement for any human rights violation.

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