Mr. Peter Quaqua, a former President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and now President of the West African Journalists Association (WAJA) early this week took Liberian President George Manneh Weah to task concerning the safety of Journalists in an Open Letter to the CDC Standard Bearer.
16 March 2020
H.E. President George Weah Executive Mansion Capitol Hill, Monrovia Republic of Liberia
Re: Down with Impunity!
Dear Mr. President,
We take it that by now, you would have read and/or have received the message in the petition presented by the Press Union of Liberia on 12 March 2020, cataloging the upsurge in attacks on journalists by men in uniform – especially those within your security detail.
We are writing you personally to express our solidarity with the journalists and to encourage you to do just the ordinary thing by instituting an independent investigation of these attacks and get perpetrators to account. The number of unresolved crimes against journalists is simply unacceptable!
Mr. President, we are aware that you have eyes to see and ears to hear that journalists are being assaulted in the course of their duties by members of the state security. One of the assaulted journalists – Zenu Miller even expired few weeks after he reported bodily pains, although hospital report suggested that he died of pre-existing conditions. As though this wasn’t sufficient, more attacks have been reported on journalists since the Zenu episode. Strangely, you have remained conspicuously silent, Mr. President.
Any president credited with abolishing criminal defamation laws in his/her country should never go to sleep without asking some questions when journalists are beaten left, right and center. This amounts to an implicit approval! Besides decriminalizing media offenses, it is also your obligation to fight impunity for crimes against journalists.
You see, impunity means exempting people from punishment for wrongs they commit against other citizens. When the state refuses to investigate crimes and hold culprits to account, it easily gives license for a lawless society.
The safety of journalists is a state responsibility, Mr. President. You may not have been on the scene when these attacks occurred, but when you failed to act especially on the ones that occurred close to you and involves agents of the state, we are left with the conclusion that you sanctioned the attacks.
It is therefore our hope that you will do the right thing. That you will enable the space for journalists to do their work unimpeded; and that you will send a strong message to your officials and security personnel that will cause them to think again before beating on any journalist. God Bless Liberia!
In the cause of media right and press freedom, we remain.
Regards,
Peter Quaqua President West African Journalists Association +231886529611