Monrovia – A civil society coalition led by Solidarity and Belief for a New Day (STAND), in collaboration with the We The Individuals Motion and different allied grassroots organizations, has knowledgeable the Ministry of Justice of its intent to stage a nationwide three-day peaceable protest from July 15 to 17, 2025.
By Selma Lomax [email protected]
The protest, working underneath the theme “Sufficient Is Sufficient,” is aimed toward confronting what organizers describe as a worsening disaster of governance, rule of legislation violations, deepening financial hardship, and continued corruption in Liberia’s public sector.
In a proper notification addressed to Justice Minister Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, STAND emphasised that the deliberate demonstration falls squarely throughout the scope of Liberia’s 1986 Structure, notably Article 17, which ensures the precise to peaceable meeting.
The group additionally cited worldwide authorized devices to which Liberia is a signatory — together with the Worldwide Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Constitution on Human and Peoples’ Rights — that uphold the rights of residents to freely assemble and petition their authorities.
In response to the organizers, the protest will unfold in three phases. The primary day, July 15, will start with a solemn memorial parade by central Monrovia, culminating in a symbolic burial ceremony at Palm Grove Cemetery.
Twenty symbolic caskets — representing Liberia’s fifteen counties, the victims of the nation’s civil wars, the lives misplaced in the course of the Kinjor Bloodbath, and different victims of extrajudicial killings — will probably be carried by the streets in a robust visible tribute, in line with STAND.
STAND described the parade as an act of nationwide mourning for individuals who have been denied justice and a reminder of the nation’s collective vow to by no means once more descend into violence and impunity.
On July 16, the second day of motion in line with STAND, will function a peace caravan that may journey throughout varied communities in Montserrado County and its surrounding areas. Organizers say the caravan will function a civic engagement instrument, spreading messages of unity, nonviolence, and democratic participation, whereas mobilizing assist for the primary protest occasion.
The protest will climax on July 17 with a mass gathering on the Capital Bypass in Central Monrovia. In response to the letter, 1000’s of Liberians are anticipated to converge peacefully, representing a cross-section of society together with youth teams, girls’s associations, civil servants, petty merchants, motorcyclists, tricycle operators, scholar unions, and residents from each city and rural communities.
Protesters will use the platform to lift their voices in opposition to rising state failure, democratic backsliding, and the widening disconnect between authorities and the ruled.
STAND and its companions say the protest is a direct response to the worsening residing circumstances in Liberia and the federal government’s failure to uphold its constitutional duties. The coalition is looking for quick reforms in a number of areas of nationwide concern, together with governance, justice, financial fairness, land rights, and public accountability.
Within the space of governance and rule of legislation, the protest calls for embody the dismissal and prosecution of presidency officers credibly accused of corruption, the reinstatement of constitutional order, and respect for tenure legal guidelines. Organizers argue that latest actions by the manager department, together with illegal dismissals and the undermining of judicial rulings, have positioned the nation’s democracy in danger.
On the financial entrance, the coalition decried what it known as rampant mismanagement and the failure of the state to handle poverty, the collapse of the well being and training methods, and the rising inequality between the political elite and unusual residents.
STAND is looking for pressing audits of presidency establishments and the renegotiation of concessions seen as exploitative to communities and nationwide curiosity.
Human rights are additionally central to the protest’s agenda. The group outlined a number of circumstances of alleged police brutality, arbitrary arrests, and torture of civilians by state safety forces. They highlighted ongoing harassment confronted by casual financial actors similar to market girls, road distributors, motorcyclists, and tricycle operators.
The coalition has demanded the removing of safety officers implicated in abuse and the quick lifting of restrictions that hinder the motion and livelihoods of bike and tricycle operators.
One of the vital damning expenses contained within the letter pertains to what STAND has known as the weaponization of the judiciary. The group accused the Joseph Boakai-led administration of manipulating the courts to protect allies and punish opponents. They referenced the federal government’s failure to adjust to a Supreme Court docket ruling that nullified the removing of former Home Speaker Fonati Koffa, describing it as a critical affront to judicial independence and the rule of legislation.
In maybe essentially the most surprising revelation, the group condemned what it described because the illegal abduction and switch of Mr. Ibrahim Khalil Cherif, a overseas nationwide allegedly faraway from Monrovia Central Jail by Guinean safety brokers with help from Liberian operatives, regardless of a court-ordered launch.
STAND known as the incident a flagrant violation of home and worldwide authorized norms and demanded Mr. Cherif’s quick return, in addition to a full investigation and public disclosure of all Liberian officers concerned within the operation.
STAND additionally warned the Ministry of Justice in opposition to authorizing or allowing any counter-protests or disruptive actions that might endanger members in the course of the three-day demonstration. The group stated any acts of violence, state-sponsored harassment, or interference can be thought of a direct failure of the federal government’s constitutional responsibility to guard its residents and uphold the legislation.
The group additional urged the Ministry to publicly acknowledge receipt of the protest notification, direct legislation enforcement businesses to make sure the security of all protesters, and assure that democratic house will probably be preserved all through the protest interval.
The letter drew consideration to the priority of the June 7, 2019 protest, throughout which opposition leaders —together with now-President Joseph Boakai— got the constitutional house to assemble and categorical dissent. STAND emphasised that Liberia’s democratic credibility is determined by equal safety of such rights for all residents, no matter political alignment.
The notification was signed by STAND Chairman Mulbah Okay. Morlu Jr. and copied to a big selection of stakeholders together with overseas embassies, human rights establishments, interfaith organizations, the United Nations, ECOWAS, and the African Union. Organizers say they count on full participation from throughout Liberia and vowed that the protest would stay peaceable, lawful, and consultant of the folks’s want for justice and reform.
