Liberia: 'Wicked, Damaging & Abusive Act: Condemnation in Liberia as Sex Tape Rocks Ruling Party

Photo: Erik Hersman

Downtown Monrovia

A sexually-explicit embarrassing video posted in a Facebook chatroom with alleged ties to the ruling Unity Party in Liberia is drawing condemnation from various political circles as tension mounts ahead of this year’s presidential and legislative elections.

The video which shows Mr. Mohammed Sambolah, Assistant Director at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, said to be a member of the party, encouraging a female partner to record a video which only shows her face and not his, is drawing criticisms from the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection as well as the UP whose Assistant Secretary General for Press, Publicity and Outreach, Mo Ali, said in a statement Tuesday that the party condemns the video.

Mr. Ali however suggested that the chatroom is not sanctioned by the UP although it bears its name.

Party Probing Leak Out of Chatroom

Said Mr. Ali:

“In the early morning hours of June 27, 2017 a video involving two adults in sexual acts was circulated on social media. It is alleged that the video was released by the male in the UP chat room (a chat room that is not officially sanctioned by the leadership of the party). Some people have unscrupulously linked this act to the Unity Party. The party is reacting to this because the posting of the video was ALLEGEDLY done in a chat room that bore the name "Unity Party".

Firstly, the UP strongly condemns this act and any other act that involves the posting or leaking of videos and/or photos that have sexually explicit contents including nudity of anyone. The party seriously caution all (including its members and sympathizers) to disengage from such behavior and will drastically penalize any of its partisan caught in such disgraceful act.

Secondly, the party is conducting investigation to ascertain as to whether the male involved in the posting of the video is a partisan of the party and the reasons behind posting such video. Once the investigation is concluded and recommendations are made, the UP will take appropriate steps to implement the recommendations that will be made in the report.

Lastly, we from the UP empathize with the lady in the video and will do all in our powers to preserve her dignity and protect her womanhood. We are also kindly appealing to members of the general public to stop sharing this video as the sharing only further brings the lady to public ridicule and embarrassment.”

Asked why the party did not include the accused in the press statement when the girls photograph and the video of the act is being shared around the social media, Mr. Ali later told FrontPageAfrica that the party is investigating Mr. Sambollah’s affiliation with the party. “We are investigating him because we need to establish whether or not he is a member of the Unity Party or a supporter of Boakai because the chatroom is open to everyone. So that is why we didn't include his name in the statement. Preliminary investigation shows that he was chatting with her and at the same time chatting in the UP chatroom. So he mistakenly sent the video to the chatroom instead of to the girl. We are also investigating who Leaked the video from the chat room.”

In a statement Wednesday, the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection said it condemns in the strongest term the circulation of a new ‘sex-video’ on social media exposing the privacy of a Liberian woman. The ministry described such video as disgraceful, uncivilized and further undermines the dignity of womanhood.

The ministry investigation gathered that such recording was done long ago, but was released recently when the two reportedly engaged in a misunderstanding. The Ministry sees the recording and subsequent exposure of said video as devilish, embarrassing and malicious. “It is a serious violation of the privacy of womanhood. In a release issued in Monrovia, the ministry indicates that the recording has the propensity to further present a negative picture of the dignity of Liberian women, and that such act must never be tolerated. “No woman should be treated in such form and manner, no matter what the circumstances.”

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The statement added: “The dignity of a woman should be protected at all times in-spite of what condition that woman finds herself,” the release added. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender, Children And Social Protection (MGCSP) is encouraging the Female Lawyers Association, Female Journalist Association of Liberia (FeJAL) and all civil society actors to join efforts in exposing the perpetrator of such wicked, damaging and abusive act. At the same time, the ministry is calling on the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to immediately intervene by apprehending the alleged perpetrator who is reportedly in the employ of the Ministry of Finance And Development Planning (MFDP) and the University of Liberia respectively.”

‘Irresponsible Creatures’

Memensie Kaba, a senior partisan of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change expressed disappointment over the video, lamenting in a Facebook post:

I am seriously disappointed in the way some of our men in Liberian Politics push women away as if politics is a men's society that belongs to a group of beheaded goats or uncivilized men.

I strongly condemn the nude video that was posted on Facebook, specifically in the Unity Party's Group Chat about a lady who has been very blunt on social media when it comes to happenings in our country. This action in my opinion is not only cruel but also unacceptable and uncivilized.

Those irresponsible creatures without human sensibility who posted such video in the name of stupidity called politics, only did so because they feel that's the only way they can silence her. So sad!

After discriminating women for so many years, haven't you built for yourselves that sense of responsibility for once? Is that your definition of politics in Liberia? Would you feel happy if someone had recorded your mother, sister, daughter, etc in such a manner?

I'm just out of words. You can critique a female politician in many ways without posting a naked pic of her or a sexual video. For God in Heaven's sake, being into politics doesn't mean you are not a human being to do some of those normal things a natural human being should do. Take that in now and elevate your level of thinking.

This uselessness must stop now! If only that lady knows the doer of this stupid act, I will be the first person to take serious and unimaginable action against his cruel self.

If you think that's how you will push us away from politics then I ask you to re-strategize because when a brave and courageous woman's mind is made up, it is indeed made up. You can continue to record nude videos of women in politics all because of your intellectual weaknesses. I am really mad beyond explanation.
Gender and Development Minister Julia Duncan Cassel describe the video as wrong and said the ministry was in the process of releasing a statement.

No Mistake Here

Some of Mr. Sambollah’s friends on Facebook suggest that he may have mistakenly shared the video into the chatroom and it was mistakenly leaked.

Mickey Titoe writes: “Since this morning when I got aware of the embarrassing issue of a leaked sex tape, I have been soberly reflecting on its ramifications and how it even got in circulation in the first place. Finally, I have come to reason that whether it was intentionally or inadvertently leaked, it does not negate the fact that it has injured the reputation of a promising Liberian female who evidently opposed the idea of having such affair taped. For this, I appeal to all those who currently have the tape, to stop circulating it and to do the honorable thing of deleting it. At the same time, I would like to publicly state that I #empathize with the female in question! I #stand with her; and I know this too shall pass!”

Not everyone is buying into the excuse that it may have been a mistake. Jerome Saydee Jr. aptly summed up the views of many when he posted: “What do you hope to gain by sharing her nude video with you in bed on social media in the name of mistake?”

Invasion sexual privacy constitutes a crime in most countries where it is considered illegal to record or post intimate moments without their consent. Under Liberian law, however, authorities have said they cannot take action unless the victim or injured makes a complaint. In Malawi and Uganda, authorities have put in place anti-pornography or anti-obscenity provisions in the law to guard against various forms of “cyber violence” against women although there have been mounting calls for tougher legislations to curb their incidence rates and to ensure redress for victims.

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