To affirm strong United States-Liberia ties and support for democratic principles, and call for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1055) to affirm strong United States- Liberia ties and support for democratic principles, and call for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1055, which affirms the strong ties between the United States and Liberia and calls for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations.

I want to thank Representative Donovan and Representative Johnson for their work on this resolution.

During my time as chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, we held hearings and we pressed legislation to bring attention to the brutal civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone that killed 200,000 people and that displaced more than 1 million, one of whom was also an orphan, orphaned by this conflict, and he worked in my own office here in Congress.

We heard testimony, for example, also, from a young girl no more than 10 years old who recounted the atrocities she, herself, endured during the war, a gruesome illustration of the horrific and lasting impact this conflict had on the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee worked across party lines and alongside the international community and alongside the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone to apprehend the notorious warlord Charles Taylor, and I would like to thank our staff director, Tom Sheehy, for his help in this regard. Today, Charles Taylor remains behind bars.

In 2003, the Government of Liberia, rebel groups, and political parties signed a comprehensive peace agreement. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created, which recommended the establishment of a war crimes tribunal to ensure justice for the people of Liberia. This would be along the same lines of what we had worked to effectively establish for the people of Sierra Leone in terms of their special court.

Unfortunately, however, this war crimes tribunal for Liberia has never been established, although Liberian Government figures and Liberian activists alike have continued to call for one. This resolution repeats this important call.

We have turned the page on this horrific chapter in Liberia's history. In March, the U.N. peacekeeping mission there officially ended. It is not often we get to celebrate the successful end of a mission, and we remember the 202 peacekeepers that lost their lives to bring peace and to bring stability to the region.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was democratically elected in 2005 and reelected in 2011 before stepping down from power. Last year, the country experienced its first democratic transition of power since November of 1944. This further strengthened democratic institutions, and it set an important precedent for future leaders.

Much more needs to be done to crack down on corruption and create a more conducive environment for trade and economic investment. The government must ensure the policies are in place to encourage business to invest and grow and create jobs, but this resolution affirms the U.S. commitment to continue to partner with Liberia to support civil society, rule of law, and good governance. We stand by the Liberian people in their continued efforts for a more prosperous and a more democratic Liberia.

The United States and Liberia share close historical, political, and economic ties over the course of our nearly 200-year relationship. The United States is home to 80,000 people of Liberian ancestry. This resolution commends this diaspora population, which has been instrumental in America's efforts to build a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Liberia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the time I previously yielded back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan), an esteemed Member from the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the author of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank my colleagues. I thank Representatives Dan Donovan and Hank Johnson for their work on this legislation, as well as Chris Smith, Eliot Engel, and Karen Bass for their support.

The U.S. stands by the Liberian people, those living in Liberia, and the diaspora in their continued efforts for a more prosperous and a more democratic Liberia.

Reconciliation from the atrocities of the past is an important step in this process and will ensure peace, and it will ensure that the stability remains. The U.S. must continue to support civil society, rule of law, and good governance to strengthen democratic institutions.

I urge my colleagues to support this important measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Donovan for his work on this resolution which reaffirms America's relationship with Liberia and calls for the Government of Liberia to hold accountable those who carried out mass violence and atrocities during the country's civil war in the 1990s. That war resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people and was marked by gross human rights violations.

In the wake of this conflict, the Liberian Government started working to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the war. In 2005, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission put forward recommendations to follow through on those efforts. But now, 10 years later, the Government of Liberia still hasn't fully implemented those recommendations.

Liberia, as the chairman pointed out, and the United States share close historical, political, and economic ties. We in the United States are committed to helping Liberia prosper as a stable democracy.

The 2017 elections were an important turning point. This was the country's first peaceful democratic transition of power since 1944. Today's measure rightly congratulates Liberia for this achievement.

For Liberia to fully move forward, it must deal with its past. So this resolution urges Liberia to implement the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There must be justice and accountability for the atrocities committed during Liberia's Civil War.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us today is a very important step to continue our strong relationship with Liberia, and I am happy to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I yield myself the balance of my time.

I again want to thank Mr. Donovan and Chairman Royce for their work on this effort. We want to ensure that the U.S. continues to enjoy its centuries-long relationship with Liberia.

The measure puts the United States on record again, once again, encouraging Liberia in the right direction toward democratic stability and accountability. So I urge all Members to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1055, to affirm strong United States-Liberian ties and support for democratic principles, and call for full implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, including the establishment of an Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal for Liberia.

My district, Staten Island and South Brooklyn, is home to thousands of Liberians who have fled the turbulence of civil war. My constituents have directly told me how important it is to them that Liberia establish an extraordinary war crimes tribunal.

At this very moment, people who have committed unspeakable war crimes hold positions in the Liberian Government. Murder, rape, mutilation, torture, unfortunately, Liberia has seen it all. Although it has been decades since these atrocities have occurred, wounds cannot be healed without justice for victims.

Moreover, this lack of accountability is leading Liberia into a slow creep backwards towards the murderous mayhem of its civil war days. Without the justice Liberians are rightfully clamoring for, I fear there will be further violence and turbulence. This is why it is so crucial to call upon Liberia to establish a war crimes tribunal.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I have had the great pleasure of working with Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel and the chairman of my subcommittee, Mr. Smith of New Jersey. The bipartisan manner in which they have conducted committee business in order to move impactful and consequential legislation is something truly to be admired and replicated.

Thank you, Chairman Royce.

Thank you to Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, Chairman Smith, and my Democratic coleader, Congressman Hank Johnson, and all of our other cosponsors for supporting this resolution.

I would also like to thank the committee staff, especially Meg Gallagher, Sean ONeill, and Marie Spear, for their work on this matter.

I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution and continue to seek justice across the globe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1055, offered by my good friend and colleague, Dan Donovan. This is an important piece of legislation. It underscores the unfinished business towards Liberia.

Liberia is one of our best friends and allies, historically to the present day, for very many reasons, including the fact that freed men and women and former slaves from this country went back and helped to make Liberia what it is today.

Unfortunately, they have had people like Charles Taylor, a despotic leader who killed and maimed and enabled gross rape. He, personally, has been held to account by the Court for Sierra Leone.

We all know that David Crane, chief prosecutor, who has testified before my subcommittee on several occasions, did a wonderful job in bringing large numbers of people to justice. Charles Taylor, for example, got 50 years. I will never forget that infamous photo of Taylor looking down at the floor, never thinking that he would get a 50-year jail term for his crimes.

But there are many others who never got prosecuted. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission made serious recommendations that have not been implemented, including establishment of a criminal tribunal for Liberia.

The time has come. Dan Donovan's bill puts the House clearly on record in saying we think this needs to be done, and it needs to be done now. I thank him for his leadership. On the subcommittee, he has been a great voice of reason and strength, as well as for human rights, particularly for those in Liberia. Last September, he chaired one of our hearings on Liberia, and I thought he did a masterful job, and I want to thank him for that leadership.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important bipartisan bill. I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1055, legislation affirming the United States' strong relationship with Liberia.

Liberia gives us hope that if we are willing to face truth of our past there can be hope for unity after devastating divisions. It takes courage to honestly face your history and find ways to move forward as a country. We must commit to supporting and encouraging this burgeoning democracy.

It has been an honor to work with my colleague Rep. Donovan. I am encouraged by his commitment to this cause. I am pleased to stand before you today to voice my unwavering support for H. Res. 1055 and ask for yours as well.