Liberia's former President William Tolbert has had a symbolic reburial, 45 years after he was murdered during a coup and his body was believed to have been dumped in a mass grave.

Ten days after the president's killing, following trials by a kangaroo court, 13 of his cabinet were stripped, tied to stakes and then executed by a firing squad on a beach next to an army barracks in the capital, Monrovia.

None of the 14 corpses has been found but each man got a state funeral at a ceremony attended by President Joseph Boakai and other dignitaries.

The event was seen as an act of reconciliation and part of a process of the country coming to terms with its violent recent past.

"It is an act of national conscience. It is a moment to acknowledge historical wrongs and to reaffirm collective commitment to the truth, justice and reconciliation," President Boakai said. //

Doe himself met a violent death at the hands of rebels in 1990. His reburial in his home town last week was also ordered by the president.

"This is not just a burial; it is a moment of national reflection, a time to reconcile with our history, to heal from our wounds, and to remember with respect and purpose," Boakai said at Doe's funeral.

For the families of those executed in 1980, Tuesday's ceremony was both an act of remembrance and a way of bringing some respect to those who died.