MONROVIA –The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has described the July 17 protest organized by Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) as largely peaceful, but expressed concern over the reported disarming of an armed plain-clothes police officer by demonstrators during the march.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
In a statement issued following its monitoring of the protest, the Commission said it deployed a team of human rights observers in keeping with its statutory mandate to promote and protect human rights across Liberia.
The demonstration, which began at approximately 1:00 p.m., attracted an estimated 1,500 participants, including members of STAND, the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), and the Student Unification Party (SUP) of the state-run University of Liberia (UL).
The protest was organized to demand what STAND described as a credible and independent investigation into the June 8 interception of a major narcotics shipment at Roberts International Airport. The group also called on the government to arrest and prosecute everyone linked to the drug seizure, reportedly valued at US$19 million, regardless of political affiliation or official position.
Protest organizers had intended to march to the Executive Mansion to personally present a petition to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
However, INCHR noted in its summary report read by its Acting Chairperson, Cllr. Mohammed El-dust Fahnbulleh, pointed out that a heavy deployment of riot police and other security personnel restricted the protestors to Tubman Boulevard, particularly the stretch between the University of Liberia and the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), preventing them from reaching the presidency.
Despite the restriction, the Commission reported that the protest remained peaceful throughout the day. “INCHR monitors recorded zero incidents of police misconduct or excessive use of force, no reported injuries to civilians or security personnel, and no coll
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