The 2024 report released by the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) serves as a damning indictment of the current administration of President Joseph Boakai. Far from the promise of a restorative agenda that characterized his campaign, Liberia is witnessing a profound regression in human rights and the rule of law. The INCHR documentation paints a picture of a nation where systematic violations of both domestic constitutional safeguards and international humanitarian frameworks have become the operational standard, marking a dangerous departure from the democratic progress the country has struggled to achieve since the end of the civil war. These abuses are not isolated incidents but reflect a broader, structural deterioration of the state's ethical foundation, threatening both domestic stability and the nation's standing within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the wider international community. As the Boakai administration navigates its tenure, these findings underscore a widening chasm between the government’s stated commitments and its actual practice, leaving citizens vulnerable to an unchecked state apparatus that increasingly mirrors the authoritarian patterns of Liberia’s traumatic past.
At the forefront of this crisis is the alarming trend of state-sanctioned brutality conducted by the Liberia National Police (LNP). Under the leadership of Inspector General Col. Gregory Coleman, the LNP has faced repeated allegations of excessive force, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial conduct. The most prominent example, which has ignited public outrage and profound distrust, is the cold-blooded killing of a 17-year-old student in Paynesville City. Such incidents are not anomalies; they are symptoms of a systemic culture of impunity. When security forces can engage in lethal violence against the very citizens they are mandated to protect without fear of investigation or administrative consequence, the social contract is fundamentally ruptured. The administration’s refusal to hold its officers accountable is a deliberate choice that signals a preference for intimidation over the rule of law, effectively signaling to rank-and-file officers that their power is absolute. This failure to prosecute security actors mirrors the dark chapters of the Samuel Doe regime, where the police served more as an instrument of state terror than a public safety institution.
The judicial system, tasked with being the final arbiter of rights, has largely collapsed under the weight of administrative neglect and political interference. Current data indicates that more than 80 percent of the nation’s prison population is held in indefinite pretrial detention. Many of these individuals spend years incarcerated without ever standing before a judge, often exceeding the time they would have served had they been convicted of the minor offenses for which they were initially arrested. This is a gross violation of both the Liberian Constitution and international benchmarks like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Furthermore, the disparity in justice delivery between Monrovia and the rural counties is staggering. The chronic shortage of judicial officers, prosecutors, and public defenders in the interior creates a ‘legal desert’ where traditional practices—often in conflict with constitutional law—are allowed to supersede national statutes, leading to unchecked gender-based violence, the continuation of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and persistent reports of ritualistic killings. The state's inability to provide accessible, timely, and fair judicial processes effectively denies the most marginalized Liberians their right to exist with dignity.
The international legal implications of the Boakai administration's actions are increasingly dire, particularly concerning the case of Abrahima Kalil Cherif. The forced disappearance and subsequent transfer of a protected individual to the custody of the Republic of Guinea constitutes an enforced disappearance under international law—a crime against humanity that the international community treats with the utmost severity. Such acts, which allegedly involve elements of state-sponsored human trafficking for financial gain, represent an explicit violation of the Geneva Conventions and the core tenets of the ICCPR. When a government facilitates the rendition of an individual to a jurisdiction where they are likely to face torture or summary execution, it ceases to be a sovereign partner in human rights and becomes an active participant in criminal abuse. The government’s silence and refusal to initiate a credible, transparent investigation into the Cherif affair are viewed by legal analysts as clear evidence of state complicity, casting a long shadow over the administration’s claims of upholding international law.
Furthermore, the crackdown on peaceful expression, exemplified by the brutal ‘White Tuesday’ police action, serves as a textbook example of the weaponization of the state against political dissent. By deploying live ammunition against citizens exercising their fundamental rights to assembly and speech—rights explicitly guaranteed under Articles 9 and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR)—the Boakai government is systematically dismantling the democratic space. These actions are not merely tactical errors; they are part of a broader strategy to silence critics, journalists, and civil society actors who dare to challenge the administration's policies. When the state treats peaceful criticism as a national security threat, it signals the death of pluralism and a descent into autocratic governance. This approach contradicts every pledge the current administration made regarding transparency and civic engagement, replacing dialogue with the heavy hand of the state.
The socio-economic fallout of these governance failures is equally devastating. The rampant diversion of public funds—notably the scandals involving fraudulent scholarship programs—has exacerbated the poverty levels that affect nearly 70 percent of the Liberian population. By siphoning resources that should be allocated to education, healthcare, and rural infrastructure, the government is essentially cannibalizing the future of the nation for the benefit of a narrow political elite. Food insecurity is on the rise, and basic public services are virtually non-existent for the majority of the citizenry. The systematic failure to address these social rights is not just an economic concern; it is a human rights crisis that erodes the foundation of the state, fueling anger and desperation that could eventually spill over into civil unrest.
Looking toward the future, the regional and international consequences are mounting. Liberia is a signatory to numerous treaties, including the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Its current trajectory, characterized by the horrific ritualistic mutilations of children and the state’s failure to prosecute those involved, places the country in direct violation of these international covenants. The international community, led by bodies like ECOWAS and the United Nations, can no longer rely on diplomatic platitudes to address these violations. There is an urgent requirement for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to broaden its focus to include these modern-day transgressions, and for international donor nations to re-evaluate their aid packages. Continued financial support without stringent conditionality regarding human rights reforms only serves to subsidize the repression of the Liberian people. The path forward requires a complete, independent, and transparent audit of the security sector, a total overhaul of the judicial process to clear the backlog of detainees, and a renewed, enforceable commitment to the rule of law. Failure to act will not only result in further suffering for the people of Liberia but will also destabilize the West African sub-region, which cannot afford another nation falling into the grip of a lawless, authoritarian regime. The time for the Boakai administration to demonstrate its commitment to the dignity and lives of its citizens is rapidly closing, and the eyes of the global community are fixed firmly upon Monrovia.
