Liberia, May 29 -- A ruling by Criminal Court "A" Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie ordering the immediate release of 45 pretrial detainees from the Monrovia Central Prison has once again exposed deep cracks within Liberia's criminal justice system.

Criminal Court "A" Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie ordered the immediate release of the pretrial detainees from the Monrovia Central Prison, commonly known as South Beach Prison, citing prolonged unlawful detention and violations of constitutional guarantees for speedy trial.

The detainees, among them Alieu Kamara, Abraham Maryland, Jerome Brown, Blessings Sherman, Emmanuel Momo, and several others, had reportedly spent between two and four years behind bars without indictment, trial, or final adjudicati...