An open letter to the Government of Liberia to adhere to the outcome of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs

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An open letter to the Government of Liberia to adhere to the outcome of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs

11 January 2017

To Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia

Dear Madam Sirleaf,

As you will know, the United Nations General Assembly held its 30th Special Session (UNGASS) in New York in April 2016, with a focus on the world drug problem.1 At this important meeting, UN member states – including the Republic of Liberia – agreed and committed to the Resolution S-30/1: “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem” (referred to hereafter as the UNGASS Outcome Document).

With this letter, we – the Foundation Against Illicit Drug and Child Abuse (FADCA) and the West African Drug Policy Network, Liberia Chapter – are calling upon the Government to urgently review its own drug control policies and practices and ensure that they align with the commitments contained in the UNGASS Outcome Document.

Below we highlight some of the most pertinent sections of the UNGASS Outcome Document, and outline our serious concerns with regards to the Government’s continuing actions targeted at suspected drug users – in which ghettos and streets are being raided, several women, children and other peaceful citizens have been tortured, maimed and some are held in prisons and detention centers without due process.

Click here to read the letter in full

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Thumbnail: Flickr CC Ash Carter