Monrovia – A vehicle belonging to Freedom FM radio talk show host Austin Kawah was set on fire by unknown individuals outside his office on Carey Street late Wednesday evening.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh (0886729972) – [email protected]
The incident followed a major fire that struck the William R. Tolbert Joint Chamber at the Capitol Building.
Journalist Kawah, the lead host of the program “FREEDOM HARD TALK,” was live on air when the incident occurred at approximately 9:15 PM. According to Kawah, his car was parked outside the compound of Freedom FM radio due to limited parking space within the fence.
“The car was parked right in front of the gate on Carey Street. Whenever the fence is congested, we often park outside the fence along the street,” Kawah told FrontPage Africa.
He added: “My show runs from 8 to 10 PM. Around 9:15, my producer rushed into the studio asking me to take a break. When I took the break, my producer said, ‘Your car is on fire.’”
No official statement has been issued by the police despite multiple attempts to contact them.
Freedom FM has often been labeled as an anti-government radio station by supporters of President Joseph Boakai. Following the incident, Abu M. Sherif, an employee of Freedom FM, took to Facebook to accuse the government of orchestrating the attack.
“Government-sponsored thugs just attacked our radio station in Monrovia and set journalist Austin M. Kawah’s vehicle ablaze. Austin is the lead host of ‘FREEDOM HARD TALK.’ He’s currently on air while the President’s directives are being carried out,” Sherif wrote.
Sherif further added: “Our lives are at risk for simply asking hard questions and highlighting the government’s early failures. The nation is gradually sinking.”
In recent times, there have been multiple reports of brutality against journalists by state security officers and lawmakers, particularly while journalists are performing their duties.
This pattern of behavior has drawn the attention of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL). In a statement, the PUL assured journalists that it would not tolerate physical or verbal attacks on members of the press.
Recent victims of such attacks include Nyantee Togba of OK FM, Sylvester Choloplay of the Spoon Network and Blamo Toe of Liberian Investigator. These journalists were assaulted by either state security officers or government officials in the past few weeks.
