By Thomas Kai Toteh ~ May 3 2006
"...It is little over two weeks today since the flogging of the journalists, which was followed by PUL’s complain to the director of the Liberian National Police, Beatrice Munah Sieh. No sign of a probe into the flogging of the journalists as yet. The perpetrators have not been identified, and are still working on their official duties with impunity..." |
On April 18, 2006, while performing their duties during the street clearing exercise, reporters Morris Gayboe and Charles B. Yates were attacked by some officers of the Liberian National Police in Monrovia.
Following formal complains from the reporters’ respective newspapers, The Inquirer and Informer, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), wrote the Police Director to bring her attention to the flogging of the two journalists. According to the Press Union of Liberia's letter, the Media Watch Dog wants Director Sieh to investigate the attacks and take appropriate measures to prevent recurrence.
It is little over two weeks today since the flogging of the journalists, which was followed by PUL’s complain to the director of the Liberian National Police, Beatrice Munah Sieh. No sign of a probe into the flogging of the journalists as yet. The perpetrators have not been identified, and are still working on their official duties with impunity.
While The Justice Ministry and the Liberian National Police remained tight-lipped on the flogging of the PUL members, leading media executives and senior members of the PUL were summoned by the Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting to answer why they should not be held in contempt for allegedly publishing false and misleading articles that have the propensity to bring them (Senate) to public ridicule and incite the public against them.
In related development, the Senate held two ministers in contempt and ordered them detained for hindering their functions. The contempt charges brought against the two ministers and three media executives were immediate; just a few days after the ministers and the media executives committed the alleged crimes.
Unfortunately, these unfolding events: the failure of the Liberian National Police to immediately probe into the flogging of two journalists and the summoning of the media executives by the Senate, and its delay to ask Director Sieh why she should not be held in contempt for failing to address the issue of the flogged journalists, suggest that the Senate committee on Information and Broadcasting is only committed to psychologically belittle and harass the press. In addition, the Senate’s contempt and summon which curved into a friendly conversation is an attempt to censor a very important privilege of journalists, “Fair Comment and Criticism.”
Every little thing counts.
When the Justice Ministry and the Liberian National Police, or the Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting downplay the flogging of the two journalists, it would be construed as a continuation of the abuse of Liberian journalists which dated as far back from regime to regime.
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