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Alert

Journalists reject committee report on beating of journalists by state security personnel

(CEMESP/IFEX) - The Special Presidential Committee set-up to investigate the allegations of beatings of several journalists by officers of the Special Security Service at Executive Mansion, the seat of Liberia's presidency, has released its report.

The five-member committee, which was chaired by Deputy Information Minister Elizabeth Hoff, was constituted in June 2006 by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, following a protest letter from the Press Union of Liberia to the Liberian government complaining of constant attacks by security personnel on journalists performing their official duties.

According to the report, the affected journalists met with the committee to provide their testimony on the allegations. However, four of the journalists involved - Patrick Hunder of Truth FM, Abbas Dorley of the "New Democrat" newspaper, Jallah Grayfields of Radio Veritas, and Olando Zeongar of "The Heritage" newspaper - described the report as bogus.

They argued, in a 5 September interview, that the committee failed to invite them to its hearings.

According to the committee's report, the security personnel involved were approached individually for testimony, due to the nature of their work.

The committee further made several recommendations, including regular interaction between journalists and security personnel, toward ensuring a cordial relationship between members of the two professions, and the replacement of journalists' equipment damaged by state security personnel, among others.