A young Liberian activist who staged a lone campaign before the Monrovia City Corporation, calling for an audit of the MCC alleges that he was brutalized by City Police forces on the day of his campaign and his life has been under constant threat by unknown persons pursuing him since.
Victim Macclean Renner has written the Ministry of Justice, Independent Commission on Human Rights, Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) National Muslim Council (NMC) and Traditional Council of Liberia, respectively to come to his rescue, as he does not currently sleep at home due to unidentified persons tailing him.
Besides, he has written foreign missions near Monrovia, including the Embassy of the United States, the European Union, Swedish Embassy, as well as the United Nations Commission High Commission on Human Rights, African Union, ECOWAS and the Mano River Union for intervention.
In a press statement, Mr. Renner narrates he staged a two-day protest beginning June 8, 2022, calling for an audit of the MCC, but on the third day, he was allegedly brutalized by Police officers of the City Corporation with his phone seized.
According to him, he has noticed that since the government took office in 2018, the Monrovia City Corporation has been entrusted with enough funding by the State, including internal revenue generation and Donors’ support with the recent being US$200,000.00 from the Global City fund.
He continued that the usage of these monies is subject to audit by the State in order to regulate fraud, waste and abuse.
“As it is enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; these rights include freedom to hold opinions without interference, to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers”, he said.
He noted that the Republic of Liberia is fast transforming from democracy to dictatorship, and the signs of an anti-democratic and totalitarian hegemony are rapidly evolving and becoming clearer day after day.
“Hon. Attorney General, I thought to address this communication to you so as to intervene and bring the situation under control. I also believe that when such an audit is done and the entity is clear of any wrong spending, it will help attract investors to our country”, Mr. Renner’s communication addressed to the Attorney General reads. Story by Jonathan Browne