The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day, Liberia’s grassroots civil rights advocacy movement, has extended its heartfelt appreciation to all members of the motorcyclists and kehkeh unions for entrusting the organization with the responsibility of representing their legal interests in the face of the ‘baseless and unjust’ actions taken by the Liberia National Police.
“No doubt, the Liberia National Police’s illegal restrictions being carried out under the canopy of ‘No-Go Zones’ continue to infringe upon citizens fundamental rights to free movement,” the group said.
“STAND commends the remarkable restraint of bike and Keke riders who, despite persistent provocation by the Liberia National Police (LNP) throughout the legal process, remained peaceful and law-abiding.
While STAND acknowledges the ruling of the Justice in Chambers, who baselessly denied its request for a writ of prohibition against the LNP’s unlawful and discriminatory actions against motorcyclists, the Movement remains steadfast in its fight for justice. Hence, STAND and THE PEOPLE will not be deterred by the biased ruling of a Supreme Court Justice who, as a Boakai-appointed judge, is shamelessly executing the dictates of the Executive Branch,” the group also noted.
However, STAND said it finds it both appalling and cruel that Justice Clinton-Johnson would stoop so low as to betray the trust and confidence of not only bike and Keke riders but also thousands—possibly millions—of students, civil servants, marketers, police officers, and even military personnel who depend on these means of transportation for their daily activities in and beyond central Monrovia. “The continuous pattern of injustice, now compounded by this latest decision from the Justice in Chambers, has stained the Supreme Court’s reputation, transforming it into a temple of injustice against the people,” the group indicated in a statement issued in Monrovia.
Furthermore, the group said: “ STAND bemoans the Supreme Court’s continuous moral and legal decay, as it wasted no time in freeing Madam Gloria Scott—a convicted murderer who brutally took the life of an innocent girl with impunity—while blatantly denying justice to the hundreds of thousands of tax-paying bike and Keke riders.”
It continued: “With this biased and politically driven ruling—clearly influenced and dictated by President Joseph Boakai—the Supreme Court of Liberia has effectively weaponized the Liberia National Police, enabling its continued campaign of violence and brutality against ordinary citizens. Justice Clinton-Johnson’s decision offers disturbing confirmation of Police Deputy Director for Operations Nelson Freeman’s prior boasts and threats, made openly on the Supreme Court grounds even before the ruling, where he declared that he would ‘Hit & Kill’ bike riders who enter their so-called ‘No-go’ zone.
Now that the Supreme Court, as the final arbiter of justice, has issued a ruling that infringes on fundamental rights and unjustly restricts the free movement of Liberian citizens, it is crucial to emphasize that the Court remains subservient to the Constitution of Liberia—the supreme law of the republic to which all, including the judiciary, are bound.”
The group argued that the Constitution explicitly affirms that the ultimate source of power resides in the people, not in any government or individual. It guarantees their right to freedom of movement and assembly, as outlined in Article 17, which upholds “the right to freely assemble and consult peacefully on matters of common good, to instruct representatives, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.”
“In response to this blatant injustice and the ongoing pattern of bias in Supreme Court rulings and judicial corruption that have denied justice to the poor, STAND will, in the coming days, hold a major press conference with a cross-section of aggrieved Liberians to announce the date and time for mass protests aimed at shaking the nation’s corrupt and decadent foundation in demanding justice, the rule of law, and good governance in Liberia,” STAND concluded. Monrovia Latest News