PHOTO: Dumoe behind bars at the Liberia National Police HQ in Monrovia
Monrovia- Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musah Dean Jr. has ordered the release of opposition politician Menikpakei Dumoe, a press release signed by Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe said on Thursday, May 14, 2020.
But this announcement comes hours after Solicitor General Syrenius Cephas told Journalists that Dumoe, acting Chairman of the Council of Patriots (COP), had threatened national security by saying Liberians want AK 47s rather than bags of rice and that he would be charged and sent to court.
Dumoe was arrested on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 after a search of his home – which was sanctioned by the courts – for making comments deemed threatening to national security.
The Police action was on Wednesday condemned by Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, President of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), who said his arrest was a violation of Dumoe’s right to free expression under Article 15 of the Liberian constitution. And he said that speech is no longer criminalized with the passage of the Kamara A. Kamara Act signed into law by President George Weah last year.
Earlier this week, he posted on his Facebook page that poor people in Monrovia needed “Ak 47s so that the government can take us seriously”.
Minister Dean said an investigation by the Joint Security Forces, which includes the examination of materials from Dumoe’s home, is continuing.
Justice Min. Cllr. Musah Dean
He said the government remains committed to protecting the fundamental rights of everyone, even as it grapples with an unprecedented health crisis and urges all to refrain from making incendiary remarks which could undermine the hard-earned peace.
The Information Ministry’s press release concluded by saying: “Liberia currently faces an existential threat that should claim the attention of all of us. Attempting to score political points when our compatriots die is unpatriotic. “
Under Article 21 of the Liberian constitution the government risks violating the law on the right to habeas corpus, it detains Mr. Dumoe beyond 48 hours without charge or trial. This is what it says:
“(f)Every person arrested or detained shall be formally charged and presented before a court of competent jurisdiction within forty-eight hours. Should the court determine the existence of a prima facie case against the accused, it shall issue a formal writ of arrest setting out the charge or charges and shall provide for a speedy trial. There shall be no preventive detention. (f) The right to the writ of habeas corpus, being essential to the protection of human rights, shall be guaranteed at all times, and any person arrested or detained and not presented to court within the period specified may in consequence exercise this right. (g) No person shall be held to answer.”