A peaceful protest in the capital Monrovia erupted into violence on Tuesday as police forces aggressively suppressed demonstrators advocating for the rule of law and adherence to constitutional democracy.
The protest, which was organized in response to an ongoing leadership crisis within the legislature, ended with numerous injuries and mass arrests and incarceration.
Hundreds of citizens gathered outside the National Legislature to voice their demands for respect for the law amid a political standoff that has embroiled President Joseph Boakai’s administration and the House of Representatives. The Supreme Court had previously ruled that a faction backed by the government’s efforts to remove the Speaker of the House was illegal, intensifying public frustration.
Without warning, police deployed tear gas and, according to several eyewitness accounts, fired live ammunition into the crowd. Oracle News Daily could not independently verified use of bullets.
Reports indicate that over 50 individuals were injured, and several were unlawfully arrested. Victims of the crackdown describe scenes of chaos as officers struggled to control the crowd, applying extreme measures to disperse peaceful citizens.
Contrary to these claims, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah contended that law enforcement utilized only non-lethal methods to clear protesters who were allegedly obstructing traffic along the Capitol bye-pass.
“As far as the government is concerned, law enforcement forces employed only non-lethal force,” Minister Piah said. However, these assertions have been met with widespread skepticism and outrage from citizens and human rights groups alike.
The main opposition Coalition for Democracy Change (CDC) released a statement condemning the operations, declaring the police’s actions as “undemocratic and unconstitutional.”
They accused President Boakai’s government of orchestrating a dangerous descent into lawlessness and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, asserting that the government’s crackdown on protesters threatens Liberia’s hard-won democratic principles.
The Concerned Citizens for the Protection of Our Constitution, Democracy, and Rule of Law, the group that organized the rally, expressed similar sentiments, branding the police response as “insensitive, brutal, inhumane, and barbaric.”
The group claimed that unarmed citizens were met with severe violence, leading to the initiation of their “Boakai-Koung Step Down Campaign,” aimed at demanding the resignation of President Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung.
Activists warned that detained individuals remain at risk of torture, asserting that a certain credible intelligence suggests the potential for severe harm to the detained protestors. Among those arrested was Sekou Kalasco Damaro, an aide to former President George Weah, which has heightened tensions among opposing political factions.
Calls for national unity against the current administration are echoing through social media platforms and grassroots channels as demonstrators demand accountability and an end to what many perceive as a return to autocracy.
The concern is palpable, with organizations urging international partners, including the United States and the European Union, to address reports of state-sponsored violence and unconstitutional actions perpetrated against the Libyan populace.
CDC’s statement in full
The Coalition for Democracy Change (CDC) is seriously alarmed by Liberia’s slide into lawlessness and constitutional mayhem under the aegis of President Joseph N Boakai.
Today’s bloody suppression of a peaceful protest the undemocratic and unconstitutional tenets of the reckless regime is a clear testament of the extent President Boakai, and his lawless regime are prepared to go to exercise and maintain undemocratic power.
We unequivocally condemn this unwarranted and excessive use of force by state securities, including the firing of life bullets at unarmed citizens. These citizens were not a threat, they were exercising their rights to assemble and petition their government.
Liberia, since the former end of the civil conflict in 2003, has never been pushed to this precipice of lawlessness and constitutional collapse as in the last few weeks since the Supreme Court’s decision in the House of Representative’s impasse.
The Executive under the instructions of Mr. Boakai is consistent in its strive to deliberately undermine the rule of law and the Liberian Constitution for the purpose of exercising dominance over the Legislative and Judiciary branches of the Government.
To achieve this dominance, Mr. Boakai is prepared to move Liberia back to the dark era of autocracy, sacrificing the blood of innocent and peaceful Liberians toward this diabolical end. It is crucial to understand that the Liberian Constitution unequivocally protects the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech.
The recent actions of the government, including the arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens, are clear violations of these fundamental rights. The CDC demands the immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been detained, some in undisclosed locations.
This blatant disregard for the constitution cannot be tolerated and must be addressed. We are utterly concerned about the reemergence of lynch law in our country after the panoply of democratic gains achieved under President George Manneh WEAH over the last six years.
The CDC is calling on our international partners, including the American Embassy, European Union, ECOWAS, etc., to take due cognizance of the Government’s reinstitution of jungle justice, censorship, and intimidation of peaceful Liberians exercising their constitutional rights after many years of sustained peace.
We request the government to hold accountable those responsible for violating the rights of citizens and to desist from witch-hunts, illegal dismissals of civil servants, and disregard for the rule of law.
We warn. that every yard of silence from the international community on these flagrant constitutional breaches, grants Mr. Boakai and his minions a mile of misrule, a continual pattern that would all but secure Liberia’s return to the horrifying police state of its decrepit and degenerate past. The time to put the lawless Unity Party Government in check is now, not when state collapse would have been virtually cemented.
The CDC stands in towering, unwavering solidarity with the people of Liberia in their pursuit of democracy, respect for the rule of law, social justice, and human rights. We are committed to supporting these fundamental principles and will continue to advocate for their protection and promotion.
The people of Liberia can rest assured that we will not waver in our support for their rights and freedoms. No abuse of our fundamental freedoms will force the Liberian people and the CDC into submission. Let President Boakai be warned that in the end he will buckle under the weight of the pressure from our people!!
