UN Human Rights Office report says violations prevented in 2025 Senate and House of Representative by-elections in Nimba County

A new report issued today by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Liberia says strategic human rights engagements led by the Government and national institutions during Senatorial and House of Representatives by-elections in Nimba County contributed to peaceful elections and helped prevent human rights violations.
The Report on the human rights situation in the context of the 2025 Senatorial and House of Representatives by-elections in Liberia’s Nimba County, 22 April and 12 August 2025 is based on findings and information collected during monitoring and verification activities conducted by OHCHR between March and December 2025, including on the ground in Nimba County. The report demonstrates how well-trained security forces, regular political engagements, with a focus on human rights, capacity building, and monitoring of the situation, minimized or prevented human rights violations and abuses in the two elections.
The report identifies measures taken by the Liberian authorities, including engagement with various stakeholders such as political parties and candidates, the conduct of joint civic voter education and gender awareness campaigns and the improved transparency of the processes through daily press briefings conducted in Nimba County and updates through social media platforms by the National Election Commission (NEC), and the increased deployment and patrols of unarmed police and security officers - including female officers - who had already undergone human rights and elections training organized by OHCHR in the context of the 2023 general elections. These steps contributed to peaceful by-elections in Nimba and helped to prevent a range of violations.
“The lessons learned and good practices documented in this report should inform the planning of future elections in Liberia” said Christian Mukosa, Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Liberia.
OHCHR findings also highlight the need to ensure all human rights concerns observed are adequately addressed , including the lack of prompt investigation of reported cases of election-related violence and human rights violations, persistent use of divisive and discriminatory messages by some candidates and political leaders, cases of gender-based discrimination and violence- that may have limited women’s safe participation in public affairs- as well as inadequate access by persons with disabilities to polling stations and other election-related infrastructure and materials .
The report sets out key recommendations to the Government of Liberia to strengthen prevention of human rights violations in the context of elections and to ensure accountability for victims. It also recommends that the international community should continue to support the human rights-based approach to planning, monitoring and reporting in the context of elections in Liberia.
“OHCHR will continue engaging and supporting the Government of Liberia and relevant stakeholders including the NEC, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on capacity building, human rights monitoring, and advocacy prior to, during and after elections, in a bid to contribute to peaceful elections and minimize and prevent the occurrence of election-related violence and human rights violations in the country” said Mukosa.
LINK TO THE REPORT
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