Gov't fight back on torture allegations
Liberia's Justice Minister Cllr. Oswald N. Tweh says allegations of torture are a misrepresentation of the facts.
Monrovia, January 20, 2025/ Justice Minister Cllr. Tweh warned over the weekend that people should cease and desist from making claims that national security forces were allegedly torturing Capitol Building fire suspects.
"We should refrain, cease and desist from making callous and frivolous statements and comments and inciting violence through misrepresentation and misleading propaganda," Minister Tweh warned on Saturday, January 18, 2025, during a dedication ceremony at the Ministry of Justice.
"These false claims are indicative of a disconcerting pattern of misinformation that seeks to incite fear and unrest among the citizenry," he argued while denying the claims.
He noted that these claims about allegations of torture, including statements, comments, assertions, and utterances against the government, are false and condemnable.
Minister Tweh observed that such statements (and claims of torture) are intended to undermine the investigations and efforts being made by law enforcement to investigate the fire incident.
Liberians woke up to a devastating fire incident that ravaged the Joint Chamber of the Capitol Building last year, a day after a violent protest was held against the removal of House Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa.
Law enforcement officials later arrested Mr. Etheridge on 13 January 2025 in connection with the incident.
Etheridge was a staff member of dethroned House Speaker Koffa.
"We should refrain, cease and desist from making callous and frivolous statements and comments and inciting violence through misrepresentation and misleading propaganda," Minister Tweh warned.
Mr. Etheridge made wild allegations of alleged abuse, coercion, and fabrication while under probe.
Etheridge accused the government of deploying troubling interrogation methods to extract confessions that he claimed were false and made under duress.
Etheridge described being pressured to falsely admit involvement in the Capitol fire and other related activities.
He accused security personnel of manipulating his statements by presenting out-of-context recordings.
"They made a statement that indicted me, saying I called people to the Boss Man house from the CDC headquarters," Etheridge said.
He alleged that they cut off the recording when he refuted this claim.
But responding to the allegations, Cllr. Tweh, while denying the allegation,s said such statements threaten to disrupt the fragile peace that the nation has worked tirelessly to maintain.
"We also wish to reiterate our commitment to transparency. Therefore, we urge all citizens and the public to exercise restraint, abide by the rule of law, and collaborate with the Government to bring the perpetrators to justice," Cllr. Tweh noted.
He assured the public that the Ministry of Justice would keep them informed as they advanced in the investigations. He also reaffirmed the government's dedication to upholding justice and accountability in this democratic society.
Cllr. Tweh explained that the Ministry of Justice is committed to following the legal process established in the laws, adding that the Justice Ministry will not shield or fail to arrest any individual whom the investigation reveals to have played a role in the commission of the crime of arson.
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.If charges are warranted against anyone--lawmakers included-- he stated that all will be afforded their rights to a fair trial as guaranteed by the Constitution.
"If any person is implicated, be it a lawmaker or not, that person will face the full weight of the law, like any other ordinary person," he continued.
Tweh stated that while lawmakers enjoy certain protections from arrest, these protections do not offer immunity in the face of allegations such as felonies.
"We emphasize that the safety and security of the Liberian people remain our paramount concern. Investigations have shown that the fire incident was an arson attack, which is a first-degree felony under our criminal laws," Cllr. Tweh stated.
