Subject: The Joseph Nyuma Boakai Administration’s Violation of My Rights
My Fellow Liberians and Members of the International Community:
On behalf of all concerned citizens of Liberia, I write to express my deepest concerns over the gross violations of my fundamental rights by the Joseph Boakai Government when I was summarily arrested, humiliated and incarcerated over trumped-up charges only because I am a member of the opposition community.
For the record, I am a law-abiding citizen of this country, a businessman, a husband, a father, and a political figure who continues to contribute meaningfully to my beloved patrimony. As a member of the opposition community, I am proud of the sterling record set by my political institution, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), which gracefully ceded power to the Unity Party after the December 2023 presidential runoff elections. Since then, I have been quietly living my life as a peaceful citizen who often provides critical analysis of the governance trends in my country.
Fellow Liberians, Members of the International Community, and my family: As you are aware, I have been in the news in recent days, having been wrongfully arrested by the Liberia National Police and incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison. I want to address that situation by providing facts about my ordeal and perspective.
My Ordeal
Like many of you, I chose to pass through central Monrovia a few days ago. My vehicle, being like yours and using gasoline, I stopped to obtain fuel from the Conex or Total Gas Station at Capitol By-pass. Though I could get refilled, I could not move forward as traffic congestion on the road was caused by the police reaction to the peaceful protestors that had assembled in the vicinity of the Capitol Building. Standing at the front of the Gas Station, on the By-pass side, I contemplated my next steps. Do I stand and watch, walk to friends still at the used car garage at Jallah’s Town, where I once did business, or join the other vehicles to sit in the traffic?
However, my contemplation by the side of the road was rudely interrupted. Police officers jumped out of a pickup truck that came from nowhere. I heard someone shouting, “There he is.” Suddenly, some police officers started to hit me, trying to subdue a person who was not resisting. I was placed without dignity in the back of a pickup like a common criminal. Let it be clear: I had no placard in my hand, no marker in my pocket and no poster sheet on my person. I was not leading followers, following any figure or converging comrades. I was standing, a Liberian citizen, contemplating my next move in his nation.
At the LNP Headquarters, I saw a different approach to handling a person being arrested. Their interest was in taking my photos and placing me in handcuffs. I was never asked for a statement or put in a position where taking one was possible. I was carried to the basement of the LNP headquarters, and even when I attempted to sit on a bench, one of the PSU officers named Mohammed Sheriff, assigned directly with Coleman, barged in, demanding that I sit on the floor and take off my sneakers. He did not dwell in empty words alone. He threatened that he had a gun on him and he would use it on me if I did not follow his instructions, describing himself as an “old rebel.” This led to severe agitation from other persons in custody in the basement, and this clamour led to other officers coming to take him away.
Some minutes after 3PM, I was taken from the basement at the LNP Headquarters and carried to Criminal Court “C.” There, the presiding, who appeared to be rushed, read out charges against us with the entire process being just nine minutes.
According to the charge sheet, which read: the Republic of Liberia versus Sekou Kalasco Damaro, and others to be identified, I and others that were arrested were charged with riot, failure to disperse, obstructing highways and other passages, physical obstruction of government function, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, theft of property and disorderly conduct.
We were not asked to bring lawyers. However, a kind lawyer who happened to be in the vicinity informed the judge that we were not served copies of any court precepts. At this point, we were made to sit while the precepts were typed and given to us. At this time, a group of about 15 persons was carried to the court. From Criminal Court “C,” we were bundled and taken to the Monrovia Central Prison at South Beach.
First, the police arraigned me at the court without taking my statement. I was taken to court without a single statement from the police. That’s where you know that this thing was targeted. Before you take somebody to court, you must have a statement from that person. But in my case, it was the contrary. They brought me here, and they gave me a 5G process only because they believed they could silence me or they could silence people from voicing out their issues with the national government.
At South Beach, I was placed in Block “D” and shared a cell space equal to a small closet with eight other persons. When I arrived, I was told that persons at the prison received visitors on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, while there, no visitors were allowed to visit me, even on the day reserved for a visit. But the night was different. A massive squad of plain clothes men descended on the cell block, flashing lights and claiming to be looking for me. Inmates in the block began rattling on their gates and stating, “We will not allow you people to do to him the same thing you did to the Guinea man.” I don’t know who the Guinea man is nor what happened to him.
This attempt failed, and I was kept at the prison for one more night before the legal team, including Cllr. James Kumeh came and obtained our release.
While I was at the Monrovia Central Prison, International Human Rights, I am glad that people from the European Union and everybody else went there to interview me about why I was still in custody. I have officially communicated my ordeal with several international human rights groups and Embassies near Monrovia.
