Following two lengthy civil wars, Liberia’s civic space is obstructed with civic society organizations highlighting, among other issues, concerns around the assault and arrest of journalists. Adama Dempster is a Liberian human rights advocate, and here he shares how he grew up seeing how war impacted Liberians and how he now works to get justice for survivors of the war and all marginalized groups.
My name is Adama Kiatamba Dempster, and I am a human rights and justice campaigner from Liberia. As a prominent human rights advocate, my life as an activist has been an inspiring journey — from a young boy living through the civil war to my current role as a lead campaigner for justice.
I vividly remember my first encounters with war, as a young boy in Yekepa, Nimba County, where I witnessed rebels from the National Patriotic Front of Liberia recruiting children as child soldiers.
This period was marked by the breakdown of the structure of society as a result of the birth of the civil war. As the civil war continued, no formal system of learning was active any longer, and the migration of citizens (including women, children, and older people) from their homes of comfort to displacement camps, while others were trying to seek refuge in other countries, was a way of life.
Becoming an activist came from the demand to stand up for others in solidarity, and the need for the right things to be done. This allowed me to reflect on the atrocities committed during the civil wars, coupled with other social justice issues and the abuse of others’ rights. As a young student in grade school, I was always regarded as a student spokesperson who demanded student rights and protection on campus. This amplified my position of becoming an activist.
At an organizational level, I first started as a co-founder and advocate at Children Against Violence, a local children’s rights organization working with children who were abused and affected by the civil war, and with missing and unaccompanied children in Liberia. This was followed by a number of different organizations that I became (and remain) part of including Independent Human Rights Investigators where I am Founding Director.
I’ve also worked at the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, a network of human rights and transitional justice institutions working on advancing advocacy, documentation, and reporting on human rights issues, as its National Secretary General. I am also the Lead Campaigner for the Coalition for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court in Liberia where we advocate for justice and accountability to address past human rights violations committed during Liberia’s two civil wars.
I previously worked at the Independent National Commission of Human Rights as Lead Human Rights Investigator undertaking several human rights investigations in Liberia. I served as head of civil society and human rights delegations to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and Human Rights Council in Geneva. I am also serving as an ambassador to many global human rights institutions around the world in advancing human rights and social justice
Adama Kiatamba Dempster (L) speaks with a staff member at his office in Congo town, outside Monrovia, Liberia on Aug. 13, 2024.
Overall I carry a heart of empathy and compassion, that is to say that I want to see a united world, helping the less fortunate, and empowering others to reach their goals or potential. I am passionate about human rights and social justice, especially when it comes to addressing structural injustices and ensuring basic human rights for all.
For over 18 years of my life, I’ve continued to work on various rights to include members of minority, marginalized, and vulnerable populations, raising advocacy on the abolition of the death penalty, access to justice, protection of human rights defenders including women defenders, seeking redress and reparations for war victims and survivors of the abuse and violations they suffered. Additionally, I engage national, regional, and international stakeholders to address the situation of minority rights, the rights of marginalized groups, vulnerable populations, and basic human rights of all.
In the aftermath of the military coup on April 12, 1980, the same coup that brought Samuel Doe into power, general elections were held on Oct. 15, 1985, in Liberia. A year earlier, in 1984, a new draft of the national constitution was approved in a referendum, which provided for a 58-member civilian and military Interim National Assembly, headed by Samuel Doe as president. After a ban on political parties was lifted, Doe's National Democratic Party (NDP), the Liberian Action Party, the Unity Party, and the Liberia Unification Party contested for power in the elections.
The outcome of the election was marred by allegations of widespread fraud and rigging. Official results showed that Samuel Doe won the presidential election with 50.9% of the vote, just enough to avoid a runoff. His NDP won large majorities in both houses of the legislature. Many independent observers believed that the Liberian Action Party's Jackson Doe, who officially finished second, was the actual winner. The period after the elections saw increased human rights abuses, corruption, and ethnic tensions, ultimately leading to the start of the First Liberian Civil War in 1989 and Doe's overthrow and murder in 1990.
The civil wars (1989-1996 and 1999-2003) were characterized by widespread and systematic violations of human rights and humanitarian law. Domestic and international human rights groups, foreign embassies, the media, and the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) identified executions, massacres, rape, and other violations including sexual violence, mutilation, torture, and forced conscription as well as the use of child combatants among the numerous abuses.
Between these periods to now, civic space remains a concern in Liberia, especially with the growing demand for political accountability, good governance, freedom of the press, and justice to address widespread and systemic abuse and violations of human rights in Liberia. There have been direct and indirect attacks on human rights defenders and their work.
In a general context, human rights defenders often face threats, harassment, and acts of violence due to their work. These acts can include surveillance, defamation campaigns, and physical attacks. Threats and assaults on the lives of journalists and their institutions have continued from previous years up to the election in 2023. Many judgments have been handed down against media institutions and journalists for defamation of the government and other officials.
Adama Kiatamba Dempster is pictured at his office in Congo town, outside Monrovia, Liberia on Aug. 13, 2024.
Assault and life-threatening situations faced by defenders usually come from security forces, most of the time against peaceful protesters and activists. In another scenario, defenders working with marginalized and vulnerable groups (including key populations) continue to face threats and harassment based on their sexual orientation. There is no specific legal framework in place to protect human rights defenders in Liberia.
This lack of protection leaves them vulnerable to reprisals. From my personal experience, human rights organizations in Liberia often face financial constraints, limiting their capacity to effectively carry out their work. Working in the human rights community comes with challenges, especially once you are critical and confronting oppressive regimes, powerful individuals, and institutions, the risk level remains hard. Some of the challenges including limited or lack of funding and technical support to carry out work stand as a major roadblock to achieving objectives.
As a human rights defender the level of risk changes given the context and issues you are working on. My work can be high risk, especially due to working on war crime issues, with threats coming from warlords and their supporters, that include threats on my life. I have experienced monitoring of my movements, and because of this, my movements are carefully decided in terms of timing and destination. Usually, there can be unbreakable engagements due to my expertise in the field of human rights to speak and make representations nationally, regionally, and internationally (so I have to attend despite the risks).
There is low or limited support for salaries, no insurance, wages, or other benefits to support families. There is also no security protection — recently my computer experienced an unexpected attack and it just got very hot and froze. After some time it switched off and never came back. My social media account was hacked, and I had to go through Frontline Defenders to restore it. My calls are monitored as well sometimes.
I also encounter non-cooperation and deception from colleagues and other actors or stakeholders, especially in my role and position on issues regarding human rights. For example, if I am to speak at some national or international meeting or event, once it's known, my name can be removed or replaced because they know I am critical or frame issues positively. The safety of my family (given the nature of my work) is also of grave concern.
However, despite these many challenges, Independent Human Rights Investigators (IHRI) plays a pivotal role in documenting, investigating, and reporting human rights abuses. The IHRI’s work is essential for ensuring accountability, promoting justice, and preventing future violations. The IHRI was established in 2015, in an effort to advance cohesive protection and promotion of human rights through research, investigation into violations and abuses as well as undertake outreach and advocacy for effective and timely redress for positive change in human rights situations at national and international levels.
Adama Kiatamba Dempster poses for a portrait on the grounds of the National Legislature on Capital Hill in Monrovia, Liberia on Aug. 13, 2024.
Over the years, as the founding national director I have coordinated the affairs of the human rights community in Liberia, and continue to lead the development and submission of shadow reports on the human rights situation in Liberia that informed Universal Periodic Review 2020 cycles and the UN Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) report in Liberia. In addition, the IHRI leadership currently steers the affairs of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform, the largest umbrella organization human rights network in Liberia.
Civil society and the human rights community in Liberia have been a cornerstone of the country's progress, particularly in the aftermath of its brutal civil wars. The sector continues to play a pivotal role in peacebuilding, governance, human rights, and development. Civil society's role remains crucial in driving reform and bringing tangible changes in Liberia.
As told to Gugulethu Mhlungu, the article has been lightly edited for clarity.
The 2024-2025 In My Own Words Series was made possible thanks to funding from the Ford Foundation.