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	Bringing justice to the citizens of Liberia by Pewee Flomoku The Carter Center Liberia   For Carter Center officer Pewee Flomoku, bringing justice to the citizens of Liberia is personal.   In 2003, Liberia began to emerge from 14 years of brutal civil war that ravaged the nation"s physical, economic, and social foundations. A central challenge of reconstruction is to create a functional and accountable justice system, a prerequisite for lasting peace and democratic progress.   While the nation"s post conflict peace-building efforts have made remarkable progress, many challenges remain in the effort to ensure accountability and provide justice for all Liberians.   One Carter Center project is focused on strengthening the rule of law in Liberia, partnering with grassroots civil society organizations to educate citizens and increase access to justice in underserved rural communities. It also serves as an example of steps that can be taken to prevent the re-emergence of conflict.   Pewee Flomoku is a native Liberian who now helps coordinate the Liberia justice project. Below, he discusses Liberia and its road to lasting peace.   Q: What is the story of your own family and the war?   A: The war in Liberia affected my family just like it affected all other families in the country. My family endured separation, deaths, sickness, displacement, and the loss of property. At one point, my whole family had to separate due to the fighting, and some members did not come back again. Some had to go into exile for safety and underwent difficult hardships. We used to have a very large family farm, but as a result of the war, other family members are now relying on the very few of us who are working.   Q: What signs of progress are you seeing in Liberia?   A: I see peace, the return of refugees, the commitment of the government to provide basic social services to the people, the commitment of the government to the rule of law, the continued engagement of the international community within Liberia, the training of a new army, and the restriction of the security sector.   Q: What continue to be the greatest challenges?   A: The greatest challenges include, but are not limited to, the following: poor security, poor road conditions, corruption, crime, and poor provision of basic social services.   Q: Describe your work with the Carter Center"s rural justice project   A: The project"s goals are to develop and build public confidence in a functional rural judicial sector that serves local needs; educate the public so that it is knowledgeable about its rights and responsibilities, including women and children"s rights and basic human rights; and create awareness of local judicial mechanisms and conditions, including statutory, traditional, and informal processes.   We"re providing technical and legal support to the Ministry of Justice. The Center is also conducting a public information and awareness campaign on the rule of law in rural areas. Local partners share rule of law messages in some of the most remote villages in the country using creative methods such as drama, town hall meetings, and radio programs.   Q: What is your personal hope for your country?   A: I personally hope and pray that Liberia will shine again and that Liberia will once again find its rightful place among the community of nations. I hope that Liberia will be a country of laws and that all Liberians will have equal access to the justice system and be treated equally before the law. I hope that The Carter Center will remain engaged in Liberia and that the international community will give our president the necessary support so that she can provide sound leadership for our country. Visit the related web page
	The Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 awarded to Liu Xiaobo by The Norwegian Nobel Committee China   Oslo, October 8, 2010   The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace. Such rights are a prerequisite for the "fraternity between nations" of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will.   Over the past decades, China has achieved economic advances to which history can hardly show any equal. The country now has the world''s second largest economy; hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty. Scope for political participation has also broadened.   China''s new status must entail increased responsibility. China is in breach of several international agreements to which it is a signatory, as well as of its own provisions concerning political rights. Article 35 of China''s constitution lays down that "Citizens of the People''s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration". In practice, these freedoms have proved to be distinctly curtailed for China''s citizens.   For over two decades, Liu Xiaobo has been a strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights also in China. He took part in the Tiananmen protests in 1989; he was a leading author behind Charter 08, the manifesto of such rights in China which was published on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations'' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 10th of December 2008. The following year, Liu was sentenced to eleven years in prison and two years'' deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion of state power". Liu has consistently maintained that the sentence violates both China''s own constitution and fundamental human rights.   The campaign to establish universal human rights also in China is being waged by many Chinese, both in China itself and abroad. Through the severe punishment meted out to him, Liu has become the foremost symbol of this wide-ranging struggle for human rights in China. Visit the related web page
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