|
Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, is expected to receive a shipment of law books and legal reference materials soon from the United States, The Liberian Journal has learned.
Books for Africa and Faegre & Benson Law Firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota have donated the books and materials as a result of contacts initiated by a Liberian legal scholar Ahmed Sirleaf on behalf of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.
Sirleaf told The Journal that during his recent visits to Liberia he saw the need for educational and legal training materials at the Liberian law school when he met with Cllr. David Jallah, Dean of the school.
According to Lane Ayres of Books for Africa, the shipment of 20 pallets of books, four of which belong to the Grimes Law School, has already left for Liberia. “There is also a resource library of just over 200 separate titles, spanning the breadth of US law and including 9 human rights law books,” he disclosed.
Sirleaf described the book donation as ‘a collaborative effort’ by him and his colleagues---Ayres of Books for Africa; Theresa Dykoschak and Christine Page of Faegre & Benson; and Laura Young of Minnesota Advocates.
The Advocates Program Associate said he and Dean Jallah further discussed the need to provide opportunities for the exchange of professors and students between the Louis Arthur Grimes Law School and American law schools for the mutual benefits of the institutions.
While in Liberia Sirleaf also underscored the need for the protection and promotion of human rights in his talks with Solicitor General Tiawon Gongloe who, he said, gave the assurance that the Liberian government was doing all it could to protect the freedom and liberty of people. The solicitor general then urged Minnesota Advocates to look into the possibilities of providing legal training for prosecutors and public defense lawyers of the Liberian Justice Ministry.
During his visit, Sirleaf also met with a number of prominent civil society groups including, the Justice and Peace Commission of Liberia, investing considerable time to understand the work of the Liberian civil society, The Liberian Journal has confirmed.
“These consultative meetings were needed,” he said, “since there are working on the TRC’s Diaspora project, and people in the Diaspora are concerned about justice and the rule of law issues in Liberia”.
He emphasized that he and his colleagues working on the project needed to be informed as they prepare their report for submission to the TRC, outlining the Diaspora experience in the Liberian crisis.
The Advocates for Human Rights is working on a Diaspora project for Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission taking statements from individuals and organizations regarding the Liberian civil war.
Editor’s Note: The entire editorial team contributed to this report.
|
