By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA – The Enough is Enough Protest Coalition, led by Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu and the WE THE PEOPLE Movement, has welcomed the U.S. State Department’s 2024 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Liberia, which highlights ongoing human rights abuses, entrenched corruption, and systemic violations of fundamental freedoms.
In a statement released Saturday, August 16, 2025, Morlu said, “This latest report delivers a damning verdict on Liberia’s worsening human rights crisis, bluntly concluding that no significant progress has been made during President Joseph Boakai’s first year in office. “This is not merely a policy failure, but a moral indictment of the so-called ‘Rescue Agenda,’ exposing its emptiness and the administration’s inability or unwillingness to break Liberia’s entrenched culture of impunity.”
Morlu criticized Boakai’s government for prioritizing lavish foreign trips over addressing domestic crises, citing the President’s recent delegation of 23 to 40 officials to Japan as an example. “As prices soar and hospitals collapse, President Boakai is squandering taxpayer dollars on a foreign junket that delivers nothing, no jobs, no trade, no meaningful investment,” Morlu added. The U.S. report supports this view, noting that “there has been no significant change” in human rights protections in Liberia.
The coalition specifically highlighted abuses within the Liberia National Police under Inspector General Gregory Coleman, calling for his immediate dismissal to restore credibility and public trust. According to Morlu, the report exposes extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions without trial, censorship of the press, torture, inhumane treatment, rampant gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, and systemic discrimination, all facilitated by a corrupt government machinery.
Morlu also pointed to alarming allegations of senior government officials’ involvement in the drug trade, underscoring the need for a transparent, internationally monitored investigation. “This hypocrisy by officials who recently paraded in anti-drug campaigns demands urgent action fully compliant with Liberia’s obligations under the U.N. Convention Against Corruption and ECOWAS protocols,” he said.
Citing the Boakai administration’s refusal to address the demands of the July 17 “Enough is Enough” protesters and the worsening economic hardship faced by ordinary Liberians, the coalition has declared Phase II of sustained nationwide nonviolent protests to begin on December 17, 2025. The protests are planned to focus on areas around the Executive Mansion and will involve peaceful yet deliberately disruptive actions designed to hold leaders accountable, defend civil liberties, and reclaim democratic governance.
To coordinate the movement, a 15-member Citizens Engagement Board (CEB), representing all 15 counties, has been established. The CEB will consult with citizens, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, student groups, political parties, media professionals, and security actors to guide the protests. Morlu concluded, “Enough is enough. This movement will not bow, break, or bend until the Boakai government leads or leaves.”
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