The leader of the Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), Mulbah Morlu, was seen at the Liberia National Police headquarters on Monday to participate in an investigation regarding the alleged possession of a firearm during the July 17 protest in Monrovia.
Details of Morlu’s meeting with the police remain unclear. However, as he left the LNP headquarters, the STAND Executive Director affirmed his freedom, stating, “I am a free man. I cannot be intimidated. I will continue to advocate and work with other progressive Liberians to ensure accountability measures are taken and that the cartel is dismantled.”
Morlu reiterated his belief that state agents were embedded within their peaceful protest to create chaos. He chose not to elaborate further, explaining that he did not want to interfere with the investigation, which is responsible for examining the details and presenting its findings to the public. “As far as I know, I’ve been asked to leave; I’m a free man, and now I have the leverage to continue advocating and take a stance in favor of justice,” Morlu added.
It can be recalled that Morlu was arrested on Friday, a day after leading the July 17 “No to Drugs” protest. Liberia National Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman said Morlu is “a person of interest” in an ongoing investigation into an alleged assault on a police officer, alleging that “On the morning of the protest, one officer was attacked and his assigned firearm was taken from him by persons yet to be identified,” calling on Morlu to surrender the weapon or “face the full weight of the law.”
In a statement following his arrest, Morlu denied the allegations and accused IG Coleman of protecting drug traffickers while cracking down on peaceful protesters. “Gregory Coleman, you are a coward who protects drug dealers while harming innocent citizens,” Morlu said, adding, “I will never fear a lawless police commander like you, even if you bring war tanks to surround my home. Barricading my house with armed police only confirms that yesterday’s peaceful protest struck a nerve by exposing the drug cartel you are alleged to be protecting.”
Morlu questioned the deployment of police to his residence, saying, “Why didn’t you deploy those same officers to surround the homes of the US$19 million drug traffickers who continue to be protected and treated like honorable citizens? They’re not,” he said.
Morlu disputed the police version of events, claiming the officer involved was operating undercover. “The man you are calling an ‘officer’ was found deep inside the protest, pretending to be a STAND protester, carrying a loaded firearm, dressed in civilian clothes, with no police uniform and no visible identification-criminally posing as a protester,” he alleged. According to Morlu, STAND’s crowd control team “safely disarmed him without violence” to prevent escalation. He said the weapon was later handed over at 10:00 a.m. to representatives of the international community, in the presence of the press, clergy, and civil society.
“I made it clear I would not hand over a firearm at night. Now that it is daylight, I will do exactly what I said I would do-hand it over in front of witnesses,” Morlu stated. Morlu further accused the government of planning violence against protesters, referencing past incidents in Kinjor and at the Guinea border.
“If you or President Joe Boakai intend to kill me like you allegedly murdered Matthew Mulbah and the Kinjor protesters, it will be in broad daylight where I will see the face of the assassin who pulls the trigger,” he said. He ended by describing the protest as part of a larger movement.
“The public can now judge for itself why armed police are surrounding the home of a peaceful protest leader instead of pursuing the drug traffickers destroying our country. July 17 is a Movement, not a date, and it continues until the cartel is dismantled brick by brick.”
According to the Spokesman Sam Collins, the STAND leader was released to his lawyer and is expected to return on Monday as investigations continue. Collins confirmed the development in a telephone conversation.
