Three former leaders of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) have commended President Joseph N. Boakai’s diplomatic efforts to defuse rising tensions along Liberia’s northern border with Guinea, while simultaneously warning against legislative attempts to weaken the Kamara Abdullah Kamara (KAK) Act of Press Freedom.
Isaac D.E. Bantu, Emmanuel D. Abalo, and Gabriel I.H. Williams praised Boakai’s recent visit to Guinea for the Mano River Union (MRU) summit, describing it as a crucial step in preventing military confrontation between the two countries. The crisis erupted in early March when Guinean troops reportedly crossed into Liberian territory, sparking fears of escalation.
While acknowledging the President’s diplomatic initiative, the former PUL leaders criticized the government’s handling of public communication. They noted that the absence of timely and accurate information has fueled rumors and anxiety among Liberians at home and abroad.
“It is our observation that one of the major problems affecting the Boakai administration is the inability to effectively communicate with the Liberian people,” the statement read. The trio urged the government to provide clear updates on progress and challenges, warning that silence risks undermining public trust in a fragile post-war democracy.
The former union leaders also called for a probe into reports of illegal mineral mining in the disputed border area, which allegedly triggered Guinea’s military deployment. They demanded the dismissal of any Liberian officials implicated in such activities, stressing that national sovereignty and security must not be compromised by corruption or illicit trade.
In a separate but related appeal, the former PUL leaders rejected proposed amendments to the KAK Act of Press Freedom. Enacted in 2019, the law repealed criminal libel, sedition, and criminal malevolence statutes, marking a landmark reform for free expression in Liberia.
The proposed amendment, advanced by Representative Nyahn G. Flomo under the title Protection from Gender-Based Online Abuse and Harassment Act of 2026, would criminalize speech deemed insulting, obscene, or harassing on social media and other platforms. Penalties could include up to two years’ imprisonment and fines ranging from L$50,000 to L$500,000.
“This is not a minor adjustment. It is a dangerous rollback of hard-won protections for free expression,” the former leaders warned. They aligned themselves with current PUL President Julius Kanubah and former PUL President Peter Quaqua, both of whom have argued that the amendment risks re-criminalizing speech under the guise of protecting against online abuse.
The statement emphasized that while online abuse, misogyny, and harassment must be condemned, vague and punitive laws cannot be the solution. “Liberia must not defend one right by destroying another,” the leaders declared, pointing to existing provisions in Section 17.3 of the Penal Law and the draft Cybercrime Act as more appropriate tools for addressing digital harms.
They noted that the amendment surfaces amid growing friction over speech and judicial contempt powers. In 2025, the PUL criticized what it described as judicial overreach against journalists in Rivercess County, while the Supreme Court’s six-month imprisonment of social media commentator Justin Oldpa Yeazehn, known as Prophet Key, underscored the fragile climate for free expression.
The former PUL leaders urged lawmakers to reject any amendment that dilutes the KAK Act, calling on the Senate, Executive, and civil society to resist efforts to restore criminal liability for speech. They stressed that Liberia’s democratic gains must be consolidated, not reversed.
“The press does not exist to flatter those in authority. Free speech does not exist only for comfortable opinions,” they wrote. “Once the state begins to criminalize broad categories of offensive or critical speech, the targets will not stop with abusers. Journalists, whistleblowers, activists, opposition voices, and ordinary citizens will all stand exposed.”
The statement closed with a firm reminder: “The Kamara Abdullah Kamara Act is not the problem. The answer to abuse is precise law, due process, and proportional remedies. Speech must not become a crime again in Liberia.”
