MONROVIA – The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has strongly condemned what it describes as brutal and premeditated violence by state security forces against peaceful protesters during the December 17 STAND-organized demonstration in Monrovia.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, December 18, 2025, and signed by CDC National Chairman, Atty. Janga A. Kowo, the opposition party said the actions of the security forces went far beyond crowd control and amounted to a calculated assault on citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
According to the CDC, the scenes witnessed during the protest reflected “state terror” rather than lawful policing, arguing that Liberians were subjected to excessive force while lawfully assembling to express dissent. The party stressed that the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed under the Liberian Constitution and reinforced by international human rights standards.
The CDC further alleged that the violence was not initiated by protesters but was provoked by individuals throwing stones from within the secured perimeter of the Capitol Building. These individuals, the party claimed, were reportedly led by staffers linked to the Office of Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung.
The statement described the alleged provocation as reckless and dangerous, asserting that it was deliberately used as justification for a violent police crackdown on unarmed civilians. The CDC warned that such actions reflect a troubling pattern of manufacturing chaos in order to legitimize repression.
Issuing what it called a direct warning, the CDC addressed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, cautioning that both would be held personally and institutionally accountable for any descent into repression, fear, and state-sponsored violence.
The opposition party said Liberia’s history offers painful lessons about the consequences of governments abandoning restraint, weaponizing the police, and treating peaceful protest as a threat rather than a democratic right. It warned that such actions do not strengthen the nation but risk tearing it apart.
As part of its immediate demands, the CDC called for the unconditional release of all protesters arrested or detained in connection with the December 17 demonstration, which it maintains was peaceful in nature.
The party also declared that it would not be intimidated into silence, insisting it would continue to exercise its moral authority and constitutional rights despite what it described as attempts to suppress dissent through force.
In its statement, the CDC appealed to the international community to closely monitor developments in Liberia, warning of what it termed a dangerous trajectory for the country’s democracy if the use of force against peaceful citizens continues.
Concluding its statement, the CDC reaffirmed that Liberia belongs to its people and not to violence or fear, declaring that Liberians will not kneel in the face of repression.
