Washington, DC — Liberian officials on Sunday intensified security at the hospital where detained human rights lawyer, Mr. Taiwan Saye Gongloe, is being treated for injuries sustained during a night in a cell at the headquarters of the Liberian National Police.
Gongloe was picked up by police officers on Wednesday evening and held without warrant or charge. As a result of beatings during the night, he had to be carried out of the cell the next morning and was taken to S.D.A Cooper hospital in Monrovia, according to witnesses.
An armed and uniformed security officer is at Gongloes bedside, another at his door and others in the corridor and in front of the hospital. Local sources speculated that security has been increased to prevent Gongloe from making any further comment on his ordeal in prison.
He was able to receive visitors Saturday and to answer questions in a phone interview with allAfrica.com.
Dr. Togbah Nah Tipoteh, chairman of the Liberian People's Party (LPP) told allAfrica that hundreds of people had gathered at the hospital and formed a queue in order to be allowed to visit Gongloe. Hospital security personnel agreed to allow groups of ten to enter Gongloe's room for two minutes at a time, in order to let as many as possible of the large crowd visit the lawyer.
Tipoteh said there appeared to be a disagreement between the government security officers and hospital security over whether members of the public should be granted access to Gongloe.
Tipoteh said that Gongloe was still in very poor health and that a planned meeting with the doctors would determine whether he needed to be sent abroad for further treatment.
The chairperson of Liberia Womens Initiative, Ms. Mary Brownel complained to allAfrica that civil society organizations wanted to be able to discuss the treatment of Taiwan Gongloe but had been hampered by the governments ban on public gathering.
She said civil society organizations had planned a meeting on Friday to call for the immediate release of Gongloe and a full investigation of his detention and beating butthat the ban on all public gatherings, also imposed on Friday, prevented the meeting from being held. She said a number of civil society groups had issued statements condemning Gongloes treatment.
