JOURNALIST BILITY DEDICATES AWARD TO LIBERIANS

By Nvasekie Konneh
July 29, 2003

Liberian journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Analyst Newspaper, Hassan Bility, says he dedicates a recent international award he won, "The Amnesty International Human Rights Journalism Award for the year 2003", to the suffering people of Liberia, especially those Liberians who were incarcerated with him by the Government of president Charles Taylor. In an acceptance speech at the WGBH radio and TV stations in Boston, Massachusetts, from where he addressed the program marking the presentation of the award, which was held in London, United Kingdom, Journalist Bility said it was time the suffering of the Liberian people came to an end. The international award winner said those who believe they can force the people into submission by the use of the killer machines called “Guns” have subjected Liberians to human rights abuses for a very long time. Journalist Bility said the untold suffering and rights violation against Liberians was even 'strange to human rights dictionary'. He said these human rights violations constituted crimes against humanity and must not be allowed to go un-punished. The Amnesty International award winner used the occasion to call on president Charles Taylor to release Aloysius Toe and others (it’s been reported that Aloysius Toe and others have been released but his where about and that of Mohammed Komara have not been verified) and to step down as president in the interest of the suffering Liberian people. He recalled that since Taylor became president of Liberia, Liberians have seen nothing but a complete misrule, failed policies, war, new refugee and displaced camps, political intolerance and killings as well as widespread human rights violations.  Mr. Bility, who spent six months in Taylor's torture chambers incommunicado, called on the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to stop the fighting and allow the peace process to go ahead unhindered. “Whatever LURD is doing, it must understand that the most important thing Liberian people want is peace and security in the country,” Mr. Bility said. He argued that at the moment, the Liberian people couldn’t trust any warlord, since they have learnt many hard lessons from the previous ones. Bility, who also won the Press Union of Liberia 2003 "Journalist of the Year" award, called on the United States Government to take a more robust stance on what he referred to as the "Devil of Monrovia" seeking to sink Liberia into further chaos. He said the United States was morally obligated to rescue Liberia from both the dictatorship of Taylor and the menace of an imposed rule by the rebel factions. He then reminded Liberian journalists not to succumb to the desire and intimidation of President Taylor by reporting what he wants to hear. “You are responsible to the people and history will point accusing fingers at you if you fail to stand where duty requires you to stand", he concluded.

After being awarded by the Amnesty International with the award during a program in London, which Mr. Bility could not attend in person, the organization decided to present the award to him during another program in the United States of America. This program that was organized by the International Rescue Committee at the World Financial Center in New York City was held on June 24, 2003. In the presence of the U. S. State Department officials and CEOs of some major corporations in the United States, the Amnesty International representative in the U. S presented the award to Mr. Bility.

Since his arrival in the United States Mr. Bility has been a constant invited guest to many programs regarding the issues of human rights violation in Africa, especially Liberia. Today he is one of the most important uncompromising voices of change in Africa and Liberia with the view that “Africa will never move forward until the human rights and human dignity of all Africans are respected by our governments because it’s the free people that build free and vibrant societies.” Mr. Bility spent the 2003 July 26 Independent Day in White Mountains, New Hampshire at the invitation of the World Fellowship Center (WFC). WFC is an “international, interracial, multicultural, intergenerational” vacation center which offers, according to information provided on its website “a unique environment to renew body, mind and spirit.” It’s a peaceful and quiet place where people from diverse social, intellectual and cultural backgrounds share experience with each other.

Mr. Bility also commends those Liberians who cancelled their planned programs of festivities and merry makings to organize and attend prayer services for the restoration of peace in Liberia. He said it was “contradicting for us to be celebrating when we are expecting others to go sacrifice their lives for us,” an apparent reference to the Liberians’ demand for the intervention of the international community. He agrees with most Liberians that since there was no celebration in Liberia because of the on going crisis, it wasn’t a good idea for Liberian community anywhere in the world to be celebrating.