The Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), one of Liberia’s leading civil rights and accountability movements, announces the continuation of its resistance and renews its commitment to intensify pressure against the Boakai-led government for persistent human rights violations, selective justice, police brutality, and the normalization of impunity.
STAND is gravely concerned by the Government’s protection of alleged perpetrators of rape, the weaponization of the Liberia National Police against peaceful citizens, the entrenchment of corruption at the highest levels of the state, and the worsening economic conditions confronting ordinary Liberians while public officials indulge in extravagant excesses.
Liberia is witnessing a dangerous erosion of the rule of law, civic freedoms, and institutional accountability, in direct violation of national laws and international human rights obligations.
I. SELECTIVE JUSTICE AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF IMPUNITY BY THE LIBERIA NATIONAL POLICE
STAND draws urgent attention to the Liberia National Police’s decision to clear an alleged rapist, J. Bryant McGill, on the basis of purported DNA evidence, while other suspects accused of comparable sexual offenses are routinely arrested, detained, and prosecuted without any DNA analysis.
While STAND supports the arrest and detention of any individual credibly accused of sexual violence, including the recent sodomy case involving a minor, it condemns the discriminatory application of evidentiary standards that places politically connected suspects above the law.
This practice constitutes a violation of:
• The Liberian Constitution
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child
• The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
• The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights
No police authority has the constitutional mandate to pronounce guilt or innocence in criminal matters. Only a court of competent jurisdiction may determine liability. Any attempt by law enforcement to substitute judicial authority undermines due process and public confidence in justice institutions.
Despite the police’s controversial pronouncement, the accused individual remains publicly indicted in the court of public conscience, supported by medical records and testimonial evidence. Administrative declarations cannot erase the trauma inflicted on a 14-year-old child whose life has been permanently altered.
Justice delayed or denied in cases of sexual violence constitutes secondary victimization and state complicity.
II. ABUSE OF POLICE POWER AND SUPPRESSION OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY
STAND condemns the violent repression of peaceful protesters, including the use of tear gas, arbitrary arrests, excessive force, and fabricated charges against demonstrators exercising constitutionally protected rights.
These actions violate:
• Article 21 of the Liberian Constitution
• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials
The selective enforcement of public order laws, while ignoring regime-sponsored counter-protesters engaged in violence, reflects deliberate bias and political policing.
The increasing deployment of civilian provocateurs to disrupt civil society activities represents a dangerous descent into state-orchestrated intimidation and must be unequivocally condemned.
III. FAILURE OF POLICE LEADERSHIP AND DEMAND FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
The pattern of selective justice, protection of alleged rapists, defense of perpetrators of past atrocities, and violent repression of peaceful protest demonstrates a fundamental failure of police leadership.
The continued tenure of the Inspector General of Police under these circumstances renders the Liberia National Police morally compromised and institutionally unfit to serve a democratic society.
STAND demands accountability and structural reform of the security sector to restore professionalism, neutrality, and public trust.
IV. LIBERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY AND ALIGNMENT WITH AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES
STAND expresses deep concern over Liberia’s decision to align diplomatically with Venezuela’s authoritarian leadership, despite well-documented records of election manipulation, repression, and transnational criminal activities.
This posture contradicts Liberia’s historic commitment to democratic norms, international law, and its longstanding partnership with democratic allies.
Liberia’s foreign policy must reflect the aspirations of its people, not the authoritarian preferences of those in power.
V. A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL WAR AGAINST THE LIBERIAN PEOPLE
Liberia is facing a non-conventional war waged by the state against its own citizens:
• An economic war that entrenches poverty and hunger
• A healthcare crisis marked by neglect and medical tourism for elites
• A security war characterized by police brutality
• A justice crisis where rape survivors are silenced and perpetrators protected
This reality is incompatible with democratic governance and human dignity.
VI. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AS A CONSTITUTIONAL AND MORAL NECESSITY
After nearly two years of sustained advocacy and two peaceful mass protests, the Boakai-led government has refused to acknowledge, engage, or respond to legitimate public grievances.
Instead, it has escalated repression, normalized impunity, and criminalized dissent.
In accordance with democratic principles and nonviolent resistance traditions recognized under international law, STAND hereby declares the commencement of sustained civil disobedience until the legitimate demands raised during the July 17 and December 17 protests are meaningfully addressed.
All actions shall remain peaceful, lawful, and grounded in moral resistance.
VII. APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
STAND formally notifies donor partners, diplomatic missions, and international human rights bodies of the deteriorating civic space and escalating threats faced by activists and ordinary citizens.
We urge:
• Enhanced international monitoring
• Increased pressure for accountability
• Targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for gross human rights violations
Sanctions must be precise and individual-based to avoid collective punishment of the Liberian people.
CONCLUSION
STAND calls on the Liberian people to remain resolute, peaceful, and unwavering in the struggle for justice, dignity, and accountable governance.
We reaffirm our commitment to nonviolent resistance, strategic adaptation, and sustained pressure until constitutional order, human rights, and the rule of law are restored.
The struggle continues. Justice is non-negotiable. Resistance remains a moral duty.
