Published: April 20, 2026
MONROVIA — The Congress for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots has petitioned the U.S. Embassy near Monrovia with a sweeping six-count appeal, calling for an independent international investigation into the April 14 unrest and other alleged cases of police brutality and custodial deaths in Liberia.
The petition, submitted Monday, April 20, escalates political pressure on the Unity Party-led government and the Liberia National Police, while also seeking targeted sanctions, international human rights monitoring, and emergency protection for CDC-COP Chairman Foday N. Massaquoi, who the group claims was brutalized during recent protests.
The move comes days after the University of Liberia-based Students Unification Party staged its “March for Jobs and Justice,” demanding jobs and justice for Liberians. During the demonstration, Massaquoi and several others were arrested after CDC-COP joined the student-led action.
Although he was later released along with the other detainees, Massaquoi alleged that he was subjected to police brutality and is now receiving treatment at a local medical center in Monrovia.
Petition escalates international appeal
In its petition to the U.S. Embassy, CDC-COP urged the international community to back what it described as urgent intervention into Liberia’s deteriorating human rights situation.
Among its key demands, the group called for “immediate independent international investigation into the recent events of April 14 and all documented cases of police brutality and custodial deaths in Liberia.”
The petition also called for targeted sanctions against Liberia National Police Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman and any other individuals the group said should be found responsible for human rights violations.
“We also demand sustained diplomatic and international pressure on the Government of Liberia to immediately cease repression, restore constitutional order, and uphold democratic freedoms,” the statement added.
Call for asylum, election monitoring
The group further appealed for emergency political asylum consideration for Massaquoi, saying such a measure is necessary to guarantee his “safety, protection, and survival.”
CDC-COP also called for the deployment of an international human rights monitoring mechanism to observe, document, and deter what it described as escalating abuses, particularly as Liberia moves toward the 2029 general elections.
The petition paints a grim picture of the country’s political trajectory, warning that repression and abuse could deepen national instability if left unchecked.
According to the group, “Liberia stands at a dangerous crossroads where state violence risks becoming normalized as a tool of governance,” adding that history has shown that suppressing peaceful dissent through brutality leads “not to stability, but to deeper national crisis.”
MCC Compact targeted in petition
In one of its strongest demands, CDC-COP urged the immediate suspension and cancellation of the pending Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact.
“We call for the immediate suspension and cancellation of the pending Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact on the grounds that the current Unity Party-led administration has demonstrated a pattern of disregard for democratic tenets, human rights protections, and the rule of law, thereby failing to meet the fundamental eligibility criteria required for such a partnership,” they stressed.
That demand significantly broadens the scope of the petition, shifting it from a protest over alleged police abuse to a wider attempt to challenge Liberia’s international standing under the current administration.
Human rights obligations cited
The group argued that Liberia’s obligations under international law make the allegations especially grave.
It noted that Liberia is a signatory to major international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture.
By signing those instruments, the group said, Liberia assumed binding responsibilities to protect citizens from abuse, torture and unlawful state violence.
CDC-COP further alleged that there is a “growing and well-documented pattern of systematic abuse” by the Liberia National Police, including excessive force, arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings carried out with little or no accountability.
Warning against international silence
The group ended its petition with a direct appeal to the United States and the broader international community, urging swift action.
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