Tiawan Saye Gongloe, a native of Liberia
A human rights lawyer who has dedicated his career to fighting for the rights of his fellow Liberians. He has worked tirelessly to end the cycle of impunity in Liberia and bring those responsible for human rights violations to justice.
Gongloe has represented many victims of human rights abuses before the courts, and has also worked with international organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. In 2003, he was awarded the prestigious John Humphrey Freedom Award by the Canadian government.
Gongloe’s work has not been without its challenges. He has faced death threats and intimidation from those who wish to silence him. But he continues to speak out against injustice, and fight for the rights of all Liberians.
As a young, 28-year-old Teaching Assistant in the Economics department of the University of Liberia, he was severely tortured by soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia who invaded the main campus of the university on August 22, 1984, during the regime of General Samuel Kanyon Doe.
Moreover, Counselor Gongloe nearly lost his life in 2002, after being tortured by the Charles Taylor regime, while in detention at the National Police Headquarters in Monrovia. Those state ordered tortures and brutalization were simply for his stands against bad governance and being bold to speak truth to the power that be.
Counselor Gongloe has had two stints in Government and on each of those two occasions, his public service has been exemplary.
For example, as an Executive Assistant to the late Interim President, Dr. Amos Sawyer from November 1990 to April 1994, he drafted a legal document containing conflicts of interest provisions for Liberian Government officials, which formed the basis for the Code of Conduct bill that his boss, Dr. Sawyer subsequently sent to the interim legislative assembly for enactment into law.
During his second service in Government, he initially served as Solicitor-General and later Labor Minister in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf administration from 2006 to 2010. As Solicitor-General (chief prosecutor), he introduced a policy, which removed quack lawyers from the prosecuting department of the Liberian government and standardized the prosecution process across the country. He shut down an existing underground prison at the Ministry of Justice, which was used by previous governments to arbitrarily arrest and detain citizens with descending political views against the ruling elites. He then transformed the torture chambers into an office for training city solicitors. Gongloe further ensured that only law school graduates were appointed to key prosecutorial positions in every political subdivision of Liberia.
Later as Labor Minister, he diligently implemented Government’s Liberianization policy, which helped to increase job opportunities for qualified Liberian citizens. Also, work permit fees increased from $400 to $1000 United States Dollars (USD), not Liberian dollar, which is far less in value.
His recent accomplishments in institutionalizing best organizational practices at the Liberia National Bar Association speak for themselves.. While serving as Minister of Labor, he also finished the draft of the Decent Work Act and submitted it to the President.
On the 31st of November, 2018, Cllr. Gongloe was elected president of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), the country’s umbrella body of lawyers, where he helped increase the LNBA’s capability and eliminate bogus lawyers by requiring every lawyer to have an LNBA-issued license, among other things.
When he was elected in 2018, the LNBA had about $25,000 USD in its account and when he peacefully transferred authority to his successor after three years of meritorious stewardship, the association had more than $130,000 USD in its account. Also as president he embarked on the construction of a three-storey headquarters of the LNBA to an advance level prior to the end of his administration.
Cllr. Gongloe’s advocacy and involvement show that he cares about people. He has seen beyond the often-repeated promises of eradicating poverty, rule of law, political stability, financial relief, economic stability, and infrastructural development made by previous presidential candidates.
Gongloe’s accomplishments are many, but perhaps his most important contribution has been to help change the culture of impunity in Liberia. His work has inspired other lawyers and human rights activists to speak out against abuses, and helped bring some measure of accountability to a country that has long tolerated impunity. For his tireless efforts to promote justice and human rights in Liberia, Tiawan Saye Gongloe is truly deserving of the award.
Other Notifiable Achievements
Professional Membership
- President of Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) 2019-2021 December
- 1988-Admitted to the Montserrado Bar as Attorney-at-Law, the Supreme Court Bar as Counsellor-at-law in 1994
- Elected three times as member of the Executive Council of the Liberia National Bar Association, the first of which was in 1995;
- Life Member, Governing Board of the African Bar Association
- Member, Public Interest Lawyers Association of West Africa
Publications
- 2005-Impunity is threat to Freedom-an op-ed co-authored with Gen Romeo Dalliare (former commander of the UN Peacekeeping troops in Rwanda)
- 2003-Help Us Rebuild, an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal
- The Law and the Medial in Liberia, a booklet published by the Media foundation for West Africa in Ghana (1998)
- Liberia’s experience with the doctrine of separation of powers, an essay published in the Democracy Watch Journal, Monrovia, Liberia (2000)
- Written numerous articles in Liberian and foreign newspapers and websites, mainly theperspective.org and newdemocrat.org, amongst others, on peace, human rights and the rule of law issues;
Awards and Honors
- 2004-2005 – Human Rights Policy Research fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of government, Harvard University.
- 2004 – Research fellow, Harvard University, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute of African and African American Research;
- 2002 – Human Rights Watch Highest honor for human rights work in Liberia;
- 2003 – A. Philip Randolph Bayard Rustin freedom Award, A. Randolph Institute’s highest award;
- 2002 – Honored by the Liberia Mandingo Association of New York (LIMANY) by naming an award for peace and human rights in his honor;
- 1995-2000 recognition as human rights lawyer and advocate by nearly all local newspapers;
He has advocated for systemic change because he has seen the root of Liberia's problems and wants a change-driven, people-centered government. Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe's actions and track records over the years testify of one thing: he is the President Liberia needs for a Better Liberia.
For example, as an Executive Assistant to the late Interim President, Dr. Amos Sawyer from November 1990 to April 1994, he drafted a legal document containing conflicts of interest provisions for Liberian Government officials, which formed the basis for the Code of Conduct bill that his boss, Dr. Sawyer subsequently sent to the interim legislative assembly for enactment into law.
“Help fulfill our promise for a Better Liberia!”
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“For Years, we have fought for a better Liberia. We are yet to realize the dream. It’s time for better leaders and better governance. A new dawn awaits us. It’s time for a change. We need a Liberia that works for its citizens, not a Liberia that works for the people in power.”
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