MONROVIA, LIBERIA – The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) has fiercely condemned what it calls an outrageous and politically motivated threat by Executive Protection Service (EPS) Director Hon. Sam Gaye. In a statement issued Thursday, May 1, 2025, STAND Chairman Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr. described Gaye’s warning that former officials who advocate protest against the government could lose state security as a gross abuse of power and a direct assault on Liberia’s democratic foundations.
The group said the statement by the EPS director weaponizes discretionary authority in a way that undermines Liberia’s constitutional guarantees of free speech and peaceful assembly. According to STAND, such rhetoric, cloaked in national security language, sets a dangerous precedent that could enable future regimes to repress opposition voices under the guise of maintaining order.
STAND stressed that the implications of the EPS warning go beyond politics. “It sends a chilling message,” the group asserted, “that constitutional rights are subject to loyalty tests, and dissenters can be penalized for exercising their liberties.” This, the group argued, is not only unlawful in spirit but fundamentally destabilizing to democratic governance.
The condemnation follows remarks made by former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, who recently raised alarms about the country’s declining state under President Joseph N. Boakai. STAND pointed out what it called blatant hypocrisy: Boakai himself, while serving as Vice President, was an open supporter of the June 7, 2019 protest against the George Weah administration, an event he joined while still benefiting from state protection.
“It is ironic and shameful,” the group noted, “that the same man who once marched in protest under state security cover now presides over a system threatening those who dare do the same.” STAND contended that this double standard discredits the administration’s claim to democratic values and reveals a growing intolerance of opposing voices.
What’s more troubling, STAND continued, is the timing of the EPS statement. Coming just ahead of the July 17 “WE THE PEOPLE” protest, the group believes the threat was a calculated effort to sow fear, chill activism, and suppress popular resistance. STAND accused the government of deliberately conflating peaceful protest with subversion in a bid to criminalize civic participation.
The Liberian Constitution, specifically Article 15, guarantees all citizens the right to freely express themselves without fear of reprisal. STAND insisted that the EPS’s rhetoric stands in direct violation of that sacred right. “To protest is not to rebel,” Morlu stated. “To dissent is not to betray. These are democratic tools, not crimes.”
STAND further denounced the government’s continued harassment of University of Liberia students and members of the Student Unification Party (SUP), calling it another attempt to intimidate and silence youth voices. The organization said students protesting for improved academic conditions have been unlawfully arrested, intimidated, and harassed by what it described as a “politicized police force” acting under the influence of the Executive.
The group called attention to Article 17 of the Liberian Constitution, which protects citizens’ right to assemble and petition their government in a peaceable manner. STAND maintained that the Boakai administration’s heavy-handed response to student protests represents a direct betrayal of that constitutional safeguard.
According to STAND, students are not enemies of the state, but future leaders and citizens entitled to the same civil rights and protections as any other group. “Suppressing their voices not only undermines democracy,” the group said, “it damages the very foundation of Liberia’s future.”
STAND pledged to continue working alongside the “WE THE PEOPLE” movement to advocate for peaceful, legal resistance to what it views as creeping authoritarianism. The group said it remains committed to exposing abuses of power and defending the constitutional rights of all Liberians, regardless of political affiliation.
“This government has chosen the path of intimidation, selective justice, and fear,” STAND concluded. “But these are not the tools of a strong, confident administration, they are the last refuge of a leadership afraid of transparency and accountability.” The statement ends with a warning: “The Liberian people will not be silenced.”
