PHOTO: Cllr. Gongloe (Left), Mr. Dumoe behind bars at Police HQ
By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Human rights lawyer and President of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe has taken the Liberian national Police and National Security Agency (NSA) to task for arresting COP’s acting Chairman, Menipakei Dumoe for exercising his free speech right on the Social Media.
Mr. Dumoe is spending his second night (Wednesday) behind bars at the National Police Headquarters in Monrovia.
Cllr. Gongloe said the action of the state security on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 grossly undermining the fight against COVID-19 by diverting the public’s mind to such spectacle.
The COP Chairman said in his recent Facebook post: “We Don’t Need Free Bags of Rice. I say we the poor in Monrovia Need AK-47s, so our Leaders Can take US seriously.”
In an interview with Judicial Reporters at the Temple of Justice on Wednesday, the LNBA President disclosed that though he is in favor what Mr. Dumoe wrote on his Facebook page recently, it is his right under Article 14 and 15 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia.
According to Cllr. Gongloe, what was written on the Facebook page of Mr. Dumoe does not amount to any crime or threat to the nation and does not warrant criminal offense.
The LNBA president added that both the police and NSA are seriously undermining the state of emergency when they have serious crimes like arm robbers, domestic violence and other to Tigger than to be arresting people for free speech.
For the Police and NSA to take a Facebook post serious is unfortunate, Cllr. Gongloe said, whereas Coronavirus has caused the loss of many lives around and slow down the economy of almost all countries in the world.
The Liberian Bar President maintained that the arrest of Menipakei Dumoe is a total human rights violation by the government and more besides, by arresting the accused, the government didn’t follow the basic criminal law or penal law procedures, as the accused was never represented by a lawyer in every step.
‘Let the police and NSA stop intimidating people for free speech because free speech is enshrined in our constitution and there is no limitations adding that Mr. Dumoe has now become victim of free speech again in Liberia,” the LNBA President said.
Cllr. Gongloe asserted that private investors are looking for right protector countries for them to invest, but not a country that does not respect human rights indicating that everyone is entitled to their free speech right.
Furthermore, Cllr. Gongloe expressed serious disappointment in the National Police and NSA for going against free speech, whereas both the Police and NSA have lots of thing to go after, instead of going against free speech.
The prominent Liberian human rights Lawyer further warned the CDC government to stop the selective Justice against other citizens that have dissenting views on issues.
He recalled that last year, former rebel “General Power”, a strong supporter of the ruling CDC government ordered the arrest of a sitting Lawmaker, Yekeh Kolubah and the establishment of Kru Defense force, when we Liberia has security apparatus, something that undermines the Constitution of Liberia. But the Bar President noted that General Power was never arrested for said statement.
He also recalled that Mulbah Morlue, Chairman of the ruling CDC party recently in a leaked audio recording said that President Weah is giving government jobs for sex and lobbying on behalf of the Liberian people but using the monies for his own purpose. But Morlu was never invited or arrested.
Cllr. Gongloe further recalled that “Zoe Lee Zoe”, a former Presidential nominee for Deputy Defense Minister made a statement before the June 7 protest that anyone who get on the streets, could be kill but he was never called for questioning but only people with dissenting view can be arrested.
Meanwhile, Cllr. Gongloe has told Journalists that he was informed by Mr. Dumoe that he was charged by the Police with Sedition, something the Bar President said was repealed by the coming into being of the KAK Act signed by President George Weah last year.