Monrovia- Six defendants presently going through trial in one among Liberia’s most politically charged arson instances have filed a proper Movement for Impartial Medical Examination earlier than the First Judicial Circuit Court docket, Legal Assizes “A”, citing allegations of extreme torture by the hands of state safety officers and expressing distrust within the government-owned John F. Kennedy Medical Heart.
By Willie N. Tokpah
The defendants, Christian Kofa, John Nyanti, Eric Susay, Thomas Isaac, Thomas Etheridge, and Stephen Broh are collectively charged with a number of capital and felony offenses together with arson, felony mischief, aggravated assault, felony conspiracy, and intent to commit homicide, stemming from the Capitol Constructing fireplace incident earlier this 12 months.
In a movement submitted on Monday, September 8,2025, the protection staff argued that the accused have been subjected to inhumane and degrading therapy throughout interrogation by the Nationwide Safety Company (NSA) and the Liberia Nationwide Police (LNP).
In response to the movement, the defendants are presently affected by urinary problems, blurred imaginative and prescient and bruises allegedly ensuing from waterboarding, bodily beatings, and publicity to intense lighting, situations they imagine require quick and neutral medical analysis.
“These signs usually are not coincidental. They’re in line with the accidents brought on by the bodily and psychological torture these younger males endured whereas in state custody,” acknowledged Cllr. Arthur T. Johnson, one of many lead protection attorneys, following a latest argument into movement to suppress proof filed by the Prosecution.
The movement emphasised that the JFK Medical Heart, being a government-owned and operated facility, lacks the independence and neutrality required to conduct an goal medical evaluation in a case being prosecuted by the identical authorities.
This isn’t the primary time Cllr. Johnson has raised alarm over using JFK Medical Heart in delicate felony issues.
In a collection of latest public statements and court docket submissions, Cllr. Johnson persistently argued that JFK Medical Heart’s ties with the Ministry of Justice create a battle of curiosity, significantly because the facility has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to offer medical companies to pretrial detainees beneath the jurisdiction of the Ministry.
“You can’t anticipate equity when the identical authorities prosecuting our shoppers controls the hospital liable for their medical evaluations. That’s not justice. That’s round management,” Cllr. Johnson advised reporters outdoors the Temple of Justice.
Authorized analysts have echoed the protection’s considerations, noting that public belief in medical proof is a cornerstone of honest trial requirements, particularly in instances the place allegations of torture or abuse are central to the protection’s claims.
Human Rights Implications
Human rights observers have additionally taken an curiosity within the case. A number of native civil society teams are calling for an unbiased investigation into the torture allegations and the broader use of state-controlled medical establishments in felony proceedings.
Within the movement, the protection staff made an attraction to Choose Roosevelt Z. Willie, who’s presiding over the matter, urges him to think about the deteriorating well being situations of the accused as grounds for each unbiased medical examination and potential reevaluation of their pretrial detention standing.
The movement concludes with a request for the court docket to grant permission for the defendants to be examined by an unbiased staff of licensed medical professionals, unaffiliated with the Authorities of Liberia (GoL), as a matter of authorized necessity and humanitarian concern.
Because the authorized battle continues, the case is drawing intense public consideration and elevating bigger questions on authorities transparency, detainee rights, and the impartiality of public establishments in high-stakes felony proceedings.
Choose Willie is predicted to rule on the movement within the coming days, a call that might have implications not just for the destiny of the six defendants, but additionally for the way future allegations of abuse in custody are dealt with by Liberian courts.
