MONROVIA — The Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC) has warned that pretrial detention must never be used to punish, humiliate, intimidate or exact revenge against accused persons, as it weighs in on the arrest and detention of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor in connection with an ongoing major drug trafficking investigation.
"Detention before trial must not become a form of punishment, humiliation, intimidation or revenge," ABIC said Tuesday in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Cllr. Dr. Yvette Chesson-Gibson, and Board Chair Olubanke King-Akerele, a former Liberian foreign minister.
"Any punishment imposed following conviction is exclusively a matter for a court of competent jurisdiction acting in accordance with the law," the organization added.
The statement comes amid intense public attention surrounding Howard-Taylor, who has denied allegations connecting her to a US$317 million drug trafficking case under investigation by Liberian authorities.
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ABIC did not question the legitimacy of the investigation or suggest that the former Vice President should be shielded from prosecution. Instead, the organization strongly backed the investigation and prosecution of anyone against whom credible evidence of involvement in illegal drugs exists, including those suspected of financing, facilitating, protecting, transporting or profiting from the trade.
But it cautioned that the gravity of Liberia's drug crisis cannot justify abandoning constitutional protections afforded to accused persons.
"Liberia is confronting a dangerous drug scourge that threatens our young people, families, communities, institutions and national security," ABIC said. "We support the determined investigation, arrest and prosecution of all persons against whom credible evidence exists, including those who finance, facilitate, protect, transport or profit from illegal drugs. No individual should be considered above the law."
"At the same time, our determination to eradicate drugs must not cause us to abandon the constitutional and human-rights principles that define a lawful society," the organization added.
ABIC's intervention follows Howard-Taylor's detention and subsequent illness while in police custody, which caused her scheduled court appearance to be suspended while she received medical attention.
The organization commended the Liberia National Police for acting promptly to secure medical treatment for the former Vice President, describing the decision to prioritize her health as "the responsible and humane course of action."
But ABIC said such treatment should not be regarded as a privilege associated with Howard-Taylor's former office, political standing or public profile. Instead, it urged the police to make the treatment she received the standard for every person held in police custody.
"This action must not be misunderstood as preferential treatment, nor should medical care ever be regarded as a privilege reserved for prominent persons," ABIC said. "Every individual in police custody, regardless of political affiliation, social status, gender, nationality or the seriousness of the allegations, has the right to be treated humanely and to receive necessary medical attention."
The organization cited Article 21 of the Liberian Constitution, which protects arrested and detained persons against torture and inhumane treatment and requires that an arrested person be formally charged and brought before a court of competent jurisdiction within 48 hours.
ABIC acknowledged that a genuine medical emergency could temporarily interrupt that process, but said authorities remain obligated to proceed transparently and in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.
The organization also cautioned against allowing the intense public interest surrounding the case to blur the legal distinction between accusation and guilt.
"An arrest is not a conviction," ABIC said. "A criminal charge is an allegation that must be established through admissible evidence in a court of law. The Constitution presumes every accused person innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
Howard-Taylor, who served as Liberia's Vice President from 2018 to 2024, has denied involvement in the alleged drug trafficking operation.
Her arrest came amid an expanding investigation into what authorities have described as a major international narcotics trafficking operation involving an estimated US$317 million worth of drugs. The former Vice President has rejected the allegations against her and maintained her innocence.
ABIC stressed that responsibility for determining guilt rests exclusively with the courts--not police investigators, politicians, the media or public opinion.
"The police investigate alleged crimes, gather evidence and arrest persons in accordance with law. Prosecutors present the State's case. Defense lawyers protect the rights of the accused and challenge the evidence presented against them," the statement said.
"It is the courts, not the police, political actors, the media or the public, that determine guilt or innocence after both sides have been given a fair opportunity to present and test the evidence."
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ABIC therefore called on the Liberia National Police and other security agencies to apply consistently to ordinary detainees the standard demonstrated when Howard-Taylor became ill.
That includes prompt medical attention when a detainee becomes sick, access to legal counsel, disclosure of the allegations against the accused, timely appearance before a court and protection from abuse or degrading treatment.
"We again commend the Liberia National Police for responding quickly when medical intervention became necessary," ABIC said. "We urge them to apply this same standard of care consistently and without discrimination to all persons who come under their authority."
For ABIC, the challenge presented by the Howard-Taylor case goes beyond the fate of one former Vice President. It is also a test of whether Liberia can pursue powerful individuals accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade without compromising the constitutional protections that apply equally to the powerful and powerless.
"Liberia can vigorously confront drug trafficking while respecting human dignity, due process and the rule of law. Indeed, we must do both," ABIC concluded. "Justice loses its legitimacy when it abandons humanity, and humanity must remain at the heart of justice."
