Liberia: ANC Demands Handover of Everything Seized from Rep. Kolubah’s Family “Immediately”
Monrovia – The Alternative National Congress (ANC), an opposition political party, is demanding the Liberian Government, through the Liberia Immigration Services (LIS) to immediately handover everything that was seized from the wife of Representative Yekeh Kolubah on Saturday, July 13.
On Saturday, Mrs. Georgetta Kolubah and her six children, including a pair of twins, were denied traveling out of Liberia by Immigration officers assigned at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Margibi County.
Reacting to the event, the ANC, which Rep. Kolubah is an Executive Member, states “On Saturday, July 13, 2019, the Alternative National Congress (ANC) received one of the most shocking reports of yet another state-sponsored or direct harassment from the Executive Branch of the Liberian Government.”
According to an ANC press statement, Rep. Kolubah had said that the Immigration Officers, who had stopped his wife and children, had earlier cleared them after they (the Kolubahs) had met every Immigration requirement and were now on the tarmac heading to the flight when these same officers called them back, seized their travelling documents and barred them from leaving, based on frivolous charges.
The party charged that this was based on direct instruction from President George Weah.
“We want to sound this clarion call to the other branches of government and to our international partners, including the UN, AU, EU, ECOWAS and US Government this is how dictators are born.
“Partisan Kolubah is in court, fighting a politically-sponsored legal battle and we are going to stand with him. His family SHOULD NOT be harassed.
“Seizing Mrs. Kolubah and her children’s passports and their entire luggage, including the pair of twins’ food is not only diabolical but it is wickedness of the first order. What has those innocent pair of twins got to do with what their father is into?”
Below is the full text of the ANC’s Press Statement.
MONROVIA – MONDAY, JULY 15, 2019: On Saturday, July 13, 2019, the Alternative National Congress (ANC) received one of the most shocking reports of yet another state-sponsored or direct harassment from the Executive Branch of the Liberian Government.
The family of Hon. Yekeh Kolubah, who is an Executive Member of our Party, was stopped by Immigration personnel upon instructions from the President of the Republic of Liberia, Mr. George Weah.
According to Hon. Kolubah, these Immigration Officers, who stopped Mrs. Georgetta Kolubah and her six children, had earlier cleared them after they (the Kolubahs) had met every Immigration requirement and were now on the tarmac heading to the flight when these same officers called them back, seized their travelling documents and barred them from leaving, based on frivolous charges.
We want to sound this clarion call to the other branches of government and to our international partners, including the UN, AU, EU, ECOWAS and US Government this is how dictators are born.
Partisan Kolubah is in court, fighting a politically-sponsored legal battle and we are going to stand with him. His family SHOULD NOT be harassed.
Seizing Mrs. Kolubah and her children’s passports and their entire luggage, including the pair of twins’ food is not only diabolical but it is wickedness of the first order. What has those innocent pair of twins got to do with what their father is into?
Saturday, was not the first time that Mrs. Kolubah has had to travel outside Liberia with her children. She at some time and along with her husband at another, have travelled outside Liberia with their children without them being stopped from leaving. Why now?
Only because Hon. Kolubah has become talking tough and standing for the people of Liberia that is why this time around his family was harassed and denied exiting Liberia.
We out rightly reject the weak and childish explanation coming from the Government of Liberia on why they ordered the stopping of Hon. Kolubah’s family from leaving the country.
We are demanding this tyrannical regime to IMMEDIATELY hand back all the travelling documents of Mrs. Kolubah and her children and every piece of luggage they had seized from her. And they must not be stopped from traveling wherever they want to go for their holiday.
Issued Under the Hands of ANC’s Secretariat
Monday, July 15, 2019