Liberia: Seven in 10 Liberian Prisoners Have Never Been Convicted, Government Official Reveals

A senior Justice Ministry official stated that 70% of Liberia's prison population has never been convicted, highlighting a systemic failure in the country's justice chain. Of the 3,768 inmates, 2,650 are pretrial detainees awaiting trial. Gabriel Ndupellar emphasized that constitutional rights to a speedy trial are routinely violated, and the lack of public defenders in lower courts leaves poor defendants without legal representation.