By: Gbamlen Weagbay
The Paynesville residence of rights campaigner Harvey Jason Allison was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night, December 23, 2025, in what residents and neighbors called a deliberate arson attack linked to longstanding threats against him because of his advocacy work. The incident occurred in the Rehab Community, on the outskirts of Monrovia, where residents said flames engulfed the house shortly after 10:30 p.m. “At about 10:30 p.m., we saw smoke coming from the structure, and shortly afterward the fire intensified,” said Dennis Carpenter, a resident of the community.
Carpenter said residents rushed to the scene with buckets of water and sand to try to contain the fire, but it spread too quickly for them to stop it. No casualties were immediately reported, and authorities had not publicly released the cause of the fire at the time of publication. However, several residents strongly alleged that the incident was intentional. “This appears to be arson,” alleged by Martha and Ziama, a police officer and a neighbor of Allison.
They claimed that unfamiliar individuals had repeatedly visited the area in recent months, asking about Allison’s whereabouts. “They kept asking whether Allison was still living in the community,” Ziama said. Residents further stated that these men were believed to be associated with the Ex- rebel General Mosquito, who had previously visited the area searching for Allison because of his long-standing advocacy activities.
Another resident, Akoi Mondaye, recounted a previous confrontation involving men believed to be from the camp of General Mosquito, who came asking for Allison.“We can only imagine what would have happened if those men had actually found Allison.
” Dyrus Gbamu, a local block leader, also alleged that the same group had previously threatened to either destroy or burn down Allison’s home. “They described the house as a terrible monument to the work of a gay man in Liberia,” Gbamu recounted.
The incident emerged against the backdrop of growing concerns among human rights observers about violence and intimidation targeting people perceived to be members or supporters of the LGBT community in Liberia. Human rights advocates have repeatedly documented cases of abuse, threats, and mob violence directed at individuals accused of being gay or supportive of LGBT rights across the country.
One of the most widely publicized cases occurred in 2020, when former Armed Forces of Liberia officer Cheeseman Cole was accused of orchestrating the torture of 27 men he suspected of being gay. Survivors alleged they were tied with electric wires, beaten, drugged, burned over fire hearths, and abandoned at night in areas where vigilante violence was common. Two men, Dominic Renner and Winston Toe, reportedly disappeared during that period and have not been found. Cole was later taken to court and released on bail, but the case reportedly stalled after witnesses allegedly refused to testify due to fear of retaliation and stigma.
In February 2023, local media outlet Front Page Africa reported allegations of a separate plot involving threats against journalist Gboko Stewart, the Curator-in-Chief of the journalRAGE, over reporting on LGBT-related issues. Rights advocates say such incidents underscore the dangers faced by campaigners, journalists, and ordinary citizens associated with LGBT causes in Liberia, where homosexuality remains heavily stigmatized and is frequently condemned by conservative religious, community, and traditional leaders across the country.
The destruction of Allison’s residence has renewed concerns about the safety of Allison if he were in Liberia and other rights campaigners of the climate of fear confronting individuals perceived to support LGBT rights in the country. As of Wednesday, police authorities had not announced any arrests or publicly commented on the allegations surrounding the fire.
