Monrovia – Dozens of Liberian journalists gathered outside a courthouse near the capital Monrovia on Friday to support a female colleague who was allegedly assaulted on a politician’s orders.
Investigative journalist Bettie Mbayo told AFP that Marvin Cole, an elected representative in the West African nation, had ordered his “thugs” to assault her and her husband after they parked their car near his house on January 15.
Cole arrived home and shouted at her husband, who was driving the car, to move, she said.
“He got down from his car and ordered his thugs to beat us,” added Mbayo, who works for leading daily Front Page Africa.
The couple both sustained injuries during the attack and are still receiving treatment.
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Cole did not respond to questions from AFP. However, he has pressed charges against Mbayo, including for disorderly conduct, according to the journalist’s lawyer.
Journalists in Liberia routinely complain of harassment and intimidation.
In 2020, there were protests in the capital after a sports journalist died after allegedly being manhandled by President George Weah’s bodyguards.
On Friday, journalists rallied in solidarity outside a courthouse near Monrovia as a meeting concerning the suit against Mbayo got underway.
The Press Union of Liberia stated that Cole’s actions were an “abuse of power and a threat to press freedom”.
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Source: AFP
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