A/HRC/12/42 page 6 political figures, including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, are listed to face public sanctions.7 The report contains a complete list of persons recommended for prosecution for gross human rights violations and war crimes but does not contain a list of persons alleged to have committed egregious domestic crimes. Amnesty is recommended for those under 18 years of age at the time of committing violations and exempts 36 individuals found responsible for gross human rights violations from prosecution because they cooperated with and spoke truthfully before the TRC, admitted their wrongs and showed remorse.8 3. Some reconciliation initiatives and activities to promote dialogue at the grass-roots level have been undertaken by different stakeholders. A series of regional dialogues were organized by a consortium of women’s civil society organizations under the umbrella of the Women Non-Governmental Organizations Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) aimed at encouraging women to actively participate in consolidating peace in Liberia. Women had the opportunity to make contributions to the TRC final report, including recommendations relating to reconciliation, reparations, amnesty and other transitional justice and peacebuilding processes. The TRC also held regional consultations in which representatives from all the 15 counties participated under the theme: “Promoting national peace, security and reconciliation in Liberia”. The consultations aimed to promote transparency, inclusion, participation and ownership of the peacebuilding and reconciliation initiatives designed to support social cohesion, democracy and national development in post-conflict Liberia. At the end of the consultations, participants recommended prosecution for those (including all heads of former warring factions, major actors in the conflict and their financiers) who illegally benefited from the country’s natural resources, committed economic crimes, and violated international humanitarian law, including crimes against humanity. They also called for the establishment in Liberia of a court of competent jurisdiction to deal with these cases. The participants recommended that no blanket amnesties be granted. However, those who were child soldiers at the time of the conflict and those who did not violate international humanitarian and human rights laws could be granted amnesty provided they cooperated with the TRC and were truthful and remorseful. 4. Tensions between ethnic groups and communities over land or natural resources persist and at times have escalated into violent clashes. For instance, in November and December 2008, two separate incidents of land-related disputes escalated into violent clashes in Nimba County. In its National Conflict Mapping Survey of October 2008, the TRC identified land- and property-related disputes as a predominant source of conflict in the 46 districts surveyed. The nature of these disputes ranged from intercommunal boundary and ownership disputes to tension resulting from lack of security of tenure. It was noted that land disputes, particularly in the border counties, “overlie a volatile context of inter-communal divisions which, if escalated to violence, would assume an ‘ethnic’ dimension, spread quickly to neighbouring counties, have 7 The list of 50 persons is non-exhaustive and section 14.3 which recommends the type of public sanctions to be imposed on them is ambiguous and requires further clarification on the precise meaning and extent of its application. 8 This is contrary to the act. Under Section 26 (g) of its governing act, the TRC is prohibited from granting amnesty or exonerating those accused of violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity.

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