Melvin Jackson with journalRAGE
Monrovia–The spokesperson of the Liberia National Police, Cecelia G. Clarke said they are aware of the viral naked video of a teenage boy suspected of being gay from Maryland County which was posted on Facebook.
However, the Police spokesperson sought to downplay the issue by intimating that she does not want her name associated with LGBTQ+ related issues.
“The commander said they are fully aware of the situation and that an investigation is ongoing,” Madame Clarke said in an interview with journalRAGE. “I don’t want to be recorded to have my voice on that thing. But I can assure you that the commander said they are investigating the incident.”
She failed to confirm or deny whether an arrest of the lead perpetrator, who openly admitted on video, had occurred.
Andrew, a resident of Maryland County whose name has been changed to conceal his identity, was recently outed and posted in a video on Facebook that saw him pleading for mercy.
The video, which has surpassed 103,000 views, quickly went viral sparking outrage.
The lead perpetrator of the act smiles as he explains
The Independent National Human Rights Commission (INCHR) has condemned the attack and called for swift justice.
Clarke had promised further updates during the LNP’s Police Watch program on Thursday, September 11, saying she would question the Maryland County detachment commander, William T. Neufville. But when the program aired, neither she nor Neufville mentioned the incident.
The LGBTQ+ community in Liberia continues to record instances of assault, harassment, and hate speech, according to the 2024 Independent National Commission on Human Rights report.
Just this year, the inaugural speech of the U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a series of transphobic attacks across the country.
In 2024, the caretaker of the house of former CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlu threatened to burn down the homes of persons suspected of being gay along Tubman Boulevard.
That same year, Representative Johnson N. Williams of River Gee County introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Act, calling for harsher penalties against LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies, aligning Liberia with Uganda and other nations with strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Liberia’s gay community saw a glimmer of hope that they might make progress in achieving rights in 2012 when Hillary Clinton, then U.S. Secretary of State, announced that “gay rights are human rights” and aid would be tied to how countries treat sexual minorities.
With U.S. President Donald Trump back in Washington for his second and final term, the high hopes of the LGBTQ+ community have dampened.
INCHR Incensed
The willful omission of status update from Maryland County about the incident in Harper does not appear to be sitting well with Atty. Urias Teh Pour, Executive Director of the Independent National Human Rights Commission who highlighted to journalRAGE in an interview that it is the responsibility of the state to ensure Andrew gets justice.
“I understand there is an ongoing investigation, but it cannot continue indefinitely., It becomes a failure on the part of the state not to arrest an individual who allegedly committed such an inhumane act, it’s a violation of the victim’s rights.
He said Liberia, as a signatory to many international human rights treaties and conventions, , especially the African Charter on Human and People Rights, has an obligation to protect minorities.
The African Commission on Human and People Rights adopted, in 2014, Resolution 275 which called on member states to protect individuals from violence and other forms of human rights violations based on their perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
‘‘In this regard, the commission will restate that the government of Liberia is under obligation where there are human rights violations to intervene. It is not a question of choice, it’s a question of law which provides the principle of equality and non-discrimination, and that should not be an option, but rather an obligation.
“At this particular point in time, the state should have credible information on those that committed the act because the video and pictures are clear. Those humiliating the victims were seen in the video.”
He revealed that the commission’s field monitors are currently following up on the matter.
Meta Remains Reticent
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has not responded to inquiries from journalRAGE about why the video remains online.
The company claims to invest heavily in safety and has created an LGBTQ+ Safety Hub. Yet, Facebook has repeatedly been used in Liberia to target gay men:
In 2020, ex-soldier Cheeseman Cole catfished and tortured 27 men suspected of being gay.
In 2023, a Paynesville gang used a senator’s photo to lure and rob gay men under the pretense of job offers.
Despite Meta’s $5 billion investment in security, its lack of intervention in Andrew’s case raises questions about accountability.
LIPRIDE Condemns; LEN TO The Rescue
LIPRIDE, the human rights coalition, has condemned the violence meted out against Andrew in a strongly worded statement issued yesterday. “LIPRIDE strongly condemns acts of public humiliation such as the incident involving the young man accused of homosexuality, regarding them as severe violations of human dignity and rights.”
The organization further called for the prosecution of Andrew’s perpetrators.
For its part, the Liberia Equality Network (LEN), a member of LIPRIDE, says it is on standby to offer psychosocial and moral support for the victim. “Our commitment is rooted in the belief that justice must prevail, not only for the sake of this individual, but to serve as a deterrent against future violations of human dignity.”
MoJ To Investigate?
Kutaka D. Togba, Director of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice, said the ministry would review the matter.
“We will have to review what’s happening on social media. We will have to follow up on what’s next to do,” Togba told journalRAGE.
For Andrew, and for Liberia’s embattled LGBTQ+ community, it remains unclear whether this promise will lead to justice.
This story was funded by the European Union under the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP). Its contents are the sole responsibility of journalRAGE and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.