Monrovia, 07 May, 2020 / 1:16 am (ACI Africa).
Bishops in the West African nation of Liberia have decried brutality on the part of security agencies in the process of enforcing the three-week state of emergency, which the country’s President declared on April 10 as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“Since the declaration, there have been gross violations and missteps in the enforcement of the state of emergency and the measures as announced by the President,” the Bishops have stated in a collective statement issued by the National Commission of Catholic Justice, Peace and Caritas (NCJPC) dated Wednesday, May 6.
Under their umbrella body, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Liberia (CABICOL), the Church leaders have acknowledged that “during a statement of emergency, certain rights are suspended.”
In the collective statement, the Bishops reiterated that during a state of emergency, “the dignity of every human being is and must be upheld.”
The Prelates made reference to the April 23 video recording that went viral showing security personnel believed to be officers of the Liberian National Police (LNP) and Executive Protective Services (EPS), “torturing, flogging, and using sticks” to punish 33-year-old Mohammed Komara, on grounds that he bridged security at the President’s house.
