MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, led a solemn national ceremony dedicating a newly constructed memorial site in honor of the late President William Richard Tolbert, Jr. and thirteen cabinet officials who were executed following the April 12, 1980 military coup.
The dedication took place at the Liberian Baptist Theological Seminary in Paynesville, where the mausoleum now stands as a lasting national symbol of remembrance, reconciliation, and a renewed pledge to justice and peace.
The event drew a cross-section of national leaders and dignitaries, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, First Lady Kartumu Y. Boakai, the Speaker of the House, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, members of the National Legislature, government officials, religious leaders, diplomats, and family members of the victims. Also present were representatives of the Doe family and members of the April 22nd Memorial Group.
Delivering a message of reflection and resolve, President Boakai called the occasion “a national duty and an act of moral restitution,” stating that the preservation of historical memory is essential to national healing. “This memorial is not just for those whose lives were taken, it is a tribute to the democratic ideals for which they stood,” the President said. “Their memories will forever inspire our journey toward a more just, peaceful, and accountable nation.”
The ceremony featured heartfelt prayers, musical tributes, and speeches from survivors and descendants of the fallen officials. The names of the 13 executed cabinet ministers, along with others who lost their lives during the 1980 upheaval, are now permanently inscribed on the memorial structure. A moment of silence was observed, followed by the ceremonial laying of wreaths.
In a powerful display of national military tradition, members of the Armed Forces of Liberia handed over the Liberian flag to the families of the deceased, honoring their legacy with dignity.
The construction of the memorial marks a significant step in President Boakai’s broader agenda for national reconciliation and transitional justice. It builds on earlier symbolic gestures from the administration, including the official reburial of former Presidents and the observance of national days of remembrance.
Dr. Jarso Marley Jallah, Chairperson of the Presidential Reburial Committee, expressed gratitude to the Tolbert family, the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, and all contributors who made the initiative possible. She hailed the project as a unifying step toward healing historical wounds and fostering national identity rooted in truth and reflection.
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