“…I wondered whether Prophet Key is insane or sound in mind enough to understand his comments against others, because, he is a habitual provocateur known for disturbing making unfounded accusations against individuals and institutions.”
–Madam Sirleaf
Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has questioned the sanity (being sound in mind) of imprisoned Justin Oldpa Yeazehn; a popular social media commentator by the name, Prophet Key.
Madam Sirleaf raised the concern barely 12 days following Prophet Key’s imprisonment at the Monrovia Central Prison.
His conviction and subsequent incarceration have produced national debate.
While adding to the debate, Madam Sirleaf, in a strongly worded statement, wondered whether Prophet Key is “insane or sound in mind enough to understand his regular ma cussing activity.”
In her reaction further to the controversy, Madam Sirleaf described Prophet Key as a “habitual provocateur; a man known for disturbing rhetoric and unfounded accusations against individuals and institutions.”
She condemned his conduct in the strongest terms, and stressed the urgent need to raise standards of responsibility in both electronic and print media, particularly on social media platforms increasingly weaponized to inflame and destabilize peaceful activities of the state.
Madam Sirleaf was emphatic: “The Court’s action was not an attack on free speech, rather, a defense of accountability.”
While on ELBC radio, Madam Sirleaf underscored that while freedom of expression is guaranteed under the law, “it is not a license for slander; incitement or institutional sabotage.”
She reminded the public to come clean with responsibilities associated with nation building.
In what observers described as a visibly stern warning tone, Madam Sirleaf said, individuals, who make “damaging and baseless statements, must be prepared to face the subsequent consequences.”
She added: “Discipline under the law is not repression but it is to maintain law and order.”
As to whether the matter should have been treated as civil, rather than criminal issue, Madam Sirleaf flatly said, she would not waste her time dignifying Prophet Key’s conduct.
She argued that “Prophet Key does not merit such attention.”
Madam Sirleaf meanwhile, urged others to resist amplifying “degenerated behaviors.”
She further said, the case now stands as a “precedent warning shot” to those who believe social media grants immunity from the law.
The message from the bench, and echoed by Madam Sirleaf, is unmistakable: “free speech is protected, but reckless contempt for the nation’s highest court will carry consequences.”
On February 13, 2026, the Supreme Court sentenced Prophet Key to six months for criminal contempt.
The ruling followed reckless social media outbursts in which Prophet Key insulted the Chief Justice, attacked the integrity of the entire bench, and peddled unsubstantiated allegations of corruptions against the judiciary.
The justices ruled that his conduct was not only abusive, but a direct assault on the dignity and authority of the judiciary.
When he appeared before the full bench, Prophet Key abandoned his bravado, but admitted to his wrongdoing, and pleaded for mercy.
The Court, however, stood its ground and handed down the sentence sending a clear signal that the temple of justice is not a playground for gutter politics and digital recklessness.
Source: Michael N. Baryor/Insights Liberia