By Lincoln G. Peters
University of Liberia (UL) – based Students Unification Party (SUP) protesters and other concerned university students have petitioned the United Nations’ head office in Monrovia after government supporters brutally attacked and wounded several of their colleagues last week.
“Since the incident on Tuesday, July 26, the government is yet to make an arrest. This shows that this is a complete state-sponsored action and the government is in support of it,” Lansana S. Kenneh, chairperson of the Concerned Students stated when he read their petition Monday, 1 August 2022.
During Liberia’s 175th Independence Day celebration, student protester Christopher Sivili Walters was attacked mercilessly by supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) calling themselves CDC Council of Patriots (CDC – COP) and stripped naked.
His video went viral on social media, reminding Liberians of the inhumane treatment and painful murder of then-sitting Liberian president Samuel Kanyon Doe by rebel fighters under the command of now Nimba County Senator Prince Yormi Johnson (PYJ).
Besides Sivili, several other members of SUP were badly injured when they were attacked by the CDC – COP outside the United States Embassy near Monrovia on Independence Day, 26 July 2022.
“We need justice for our comrade because we are not prepared to go back to our dark days,’’ said Kenneh.
In a show of solidarity for their wounded colleagues following the Independence Day bloody protest, SUP and the Concern Students of the University of Liberia on Monday staged a march in Monrovia to call partners’ attention to their plights.
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They alleged bad governance, police brutality and dehumanizing acts being carried out by the government.
The group of students marched to the United Nations headquarters on First Street, Sinkor, and read a petition calling for an immediate investigation and prosecution of culprits linked to the July 26 attack.
“We like to bring to your attention the continued human rights violation, police brutality, mysterious deaths, corruption, bad governance and constitutional violation in our country,” Kenneh said further.
Kenneh said it is very saddening that during a peaceful gathering of students, SUP was attacked by an alleged ‘state-sponsored group’ under the banner CDC-COP.
According to him, during the protest, one of their comrades was beaten, disgraced, dehumanized and stripped naked because he had joined the campaign to call on President George Manneh Weah to “Fix the state.’’
Kenneh contended that this is a serious human rights violation.
“We want to believe that you, our partners, have seen the video footage of our comrade who was dehumanized and butt naked and beaten by CDC-COP,” Kenneth continued.
“You also saw the brutalization of several other comrades, some of whom [were] badly injured and undergoing critical medical attention.”
He said the Concerned Students believe by petitioning the UN, it will help the Government of Liberia to pay attention to the country and address the prevailing economic hardship, corruption and human rights violations.
He lamented that they are currently living in fear and insecurity because of how the government is handling the security sector and alleged state-sponsored groups to counter peaceful citizens that have petitions and issues of national concern.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/independence-celebration-turns-bloody/ –Edited by Winston W. Parley
