Minnesota human rights group project documents plight of Liberian refugees

Two representatives of a Minnesota human rights group are attending a national conference in Liberia this week, as the group begins to wrap up more than three years of work.

Two members of the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will present an overview of the work the project has done in the United States, the United Kingdom and parts of Africa.

Jennifer Prestholdt is with The Advocates for Human Rights, which managed the TRC project in Minnesota. She said the project collected the stories of more than 1500 Liberians who fled their country because of civil unrest between 1979 and 2003.

"This national conference on the way forward in Liberia is focusing on really pulling together all of the information that they've gathered throughout this process," Prestholdt. "And having representatives from each of the counties in Liberia and from the Diaspora give their recommendations for what needs to happen in Liberia after the TRC goes away."

The TRC's mandate ends on June 30th. Minnesota is home to one of the largest populations of Liberians in the country.