Published: August 5, 2026
MONROVIA — Protesters at the July 17 STAND demonstration acted outside the constitutional right to peaceful assembly when they disarmed an armed man and displayed his weapon before journalists, Liberia’s national human rights body has found, a conclusion that lands while STAND chairman Mulbah K. Morlu faces criminal proceedings over the same incident.
The Independent National Commission on Human Rights otherwise cleared the demonstration, reporting no violence, no injuries and no property damage, and commended Morlu and other organizers for keeping the protest peaceful. Acting Chairperson Cllr. Mohammed El-dust Fahnbulleh presented the findings at a public briefing Aug. 3, based on human rights monitors the commission deployed during the protest.
“Our attention is drawn to the finding that while the protest was going on, a police officer was disarmed by the protesters, and we all saw that the leader of STAND displayed the arm before journalists. We found that very disturbing,” Fahnbulleh said.
The commission said the man who was disarmed was believed to be a police officer. Fahnbulleh said demonstrators who suspect an armed person of posing a threat have no authority to take the weapon themselves.
“Protesters should not be seen attempting to disarm armed officers. Where there is a concern, they have every reason to call the attention of national security or turn the individual over to security officers who are in uniform to investigate why the person is carrying a firearm,” he said.
“To disarm someone and display the arm went beyond the limits of the rights guaranteed during a protest,” he said.
On the conduct of the protest itself, the commission’s findings were favorable.
“The report indicates that the protest was very peaceful. There were no incidents of violence and there was no injury recorded,” Fahnbulleh said.
He said aggrieved citizens are entitled to organize peaceful demonstrations and to press state actors on matters that concern them.
“The right to protest is provided for by the Liberian Constitution, specifically Article 17, and it is also supported by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” he said.
“We want to take this time to commend the protesters, especially its head, Mr. Mulbah Morlu, for leading a protest that we consider very peaceful,” he said.
Fahnbulleh also praised the Liberia National Police and other security agencies for maintaining order and allowing the demonstration to proceed without interference.
The protest pressed the government to accelerate investigations and prosecutions tied to the seizure of narcotics with an estimated street value of US$19 million at Roberts International Airport. Fahnbulleh said those demands were legitimate.
“STAND led the organized protest to demand government speed up investigation and prosecution of those accused over the US$19 million drugs that were seized at the airport. We think that was a genuine concern, and we commend the citizens who gathered to call on government for speedy investigation and possible prosecution,” he said.
The commission said the Liberia National Police afterward obtained a search and seizure warrant, which the commission characterized as lawful, executed it at Morlu’s residence and brought him in for questioning. The matter is now before the courts.
Fahnbulleh declined to comment on the merits of the case but urged the courts to move.
“We want to call on the judiciary to speedily proceed with this matter as we continue to monitor the court process involving Mr. Mulbah Morlu of STAND and the Government of Liberia,” he
The July 17 protest was held amid mounting public pressure over a run of high-profile narcotics seizures and demands for transparency and prosecution in Liberia’s drug trafficking investigations.
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