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INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000174 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ASEC PREL SOCI KCRM UN LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: STUDENT RIOT DISRUPTS YOUTH ASSEMBLY 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: A student riot on January 16 during a youth assembly 
resulted in the arrest of seven students. Several students were 
denied entry to the assembly and protested, attacking the police, 
who arrested seven.  The students were taken to a local police 
station.  A mob of students then attacked two police stations, 
releasing 18 prisoners unrelated to the riot.  Eight more students 
were arrested because of the attacks on the police stations.  The 
detained students were transferred to LNP Headquarters, received 
medical treatment and were released on bond January 18.  They are 
still awaiting trial.  The students allege that the police beat 
those arrested, but police claim that the students were injured 
during the attacks on the two police stations.  UN Police commented 
that proper police procedures were not followed.  Student claims of 
human rights abuses are not substantiated.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2. The Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), an umbrella organization 
of Liberian youth groups, held their bi-annual elections at S.K.D. 
Sports Complex in Monrovia on January 15-16.  Several delegates 
were denied entry to the meeting because they turned in their 
registration payments late.  Those delegates, from the Liberia 
National Student Union (LINSU) and University of Liberia Student 
Union (ULSU), told Poloff it was because they did not support the 
preferred slate of candidates for FLY.  Kwame Ross, President of 
LINSU, told Poloff that he was denied entry on January 15, but 
received a phone call from a FLY executive the evening of January 
15 saying he would be allowed entry on January 16.  However, 
delegates from LINSU were turned away again on January 16, because 
of mis-communication between FLY organizers. 
 
 
 
¶3. According to both the students' accounts and a United Nations 
Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) report, on January 16, at about 3:00 pm, 
the students who were denied entry protested and scuffled with 
seven LNP officers on the scene for security.  The police reported 
that the students attacked them by throwing stones while the police 
were trying to restore order. Police reinforcements were summoned, 
but UN Police (UNPOL) were not contacted as they should have been, 
per LNP standard procedures.  The LNP then arrested Ross and 
Sylvester Diggs, ULSU member.  The group of students protested the 
arrests, leading to the arrest of five others.  Ross and Diggs 
allege that they were both severely beaten during the arrest and 
while being detained. 
 
 
 
¶4.  The students were taken to a police substation (Depot 1) in 
Thinkers Village.  A group of students then broke into Police Zone 
Headquarters, releasing 11 detainees not related to the student 
riot.  The student mob then broke into the substation, releasing 
another seven unrelated prisoners.  Officers from the LNP Police 
Support Unit (PSU) were called and disbursed the students from 
around Depot 1.  Officers arrested an additional eight students and 
added them to the seven in custody, who had not escaped during the 
attack.  The police claim that several students were injured during 
this fighting. The fifteen students were then taken to LNP 
Headquarters. 
 
 
 
¶5.  Around 9:30 pm, LNP officers took four injured students to JFK 
Hospital for medical treatment.  Richmond Neufville, General 
Secretary of LINSU, lost two teeth and told Poloff he would need 
gum surgery, and Diggs complained of urinating blood.  The four 
students were treated and sent back to LNP HQ.  At 2:30 am Minister 
of Public Works Kofi Woods, a former student leader and activist 
was called to intervene to have the 11 other students taken to JFK 
for medical checkups. 
 
 
 
¶6.  On January 18, the 15 students were arraigned, represented by 
Counselor Jerome Verdier, former chairman of the now disbanded 
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and released on bail.  Their 
trial was scheduled for January 22.  On January 22, the case was 
not heard, but 40 students protested outside the court. 
 
 
 
¶7.  UNPOL Commissioner Gautam Sawang told PolEconCouns that it was 
clear that the students provoked a reaction from the police by 
going to the Thinkers Village depot believing the students were 
being held there, then escalated the situation by taking over the 
building and releasing the prisoners.  He did note, however, that 
the UNMIL report was drafted by UNPOL officers, and did not take 
into account "the broader political aspects" of the situation.  The 
 
MONROVIA 00000174  002 OF 002 
 
 
report also criticized local LNP commanders for not contacting 
UNPOL or LNP Headquarters, and for not having an emergency plan to 
address a riot situation.  For their part, the students refused to 
admit to PolOff that their "protests" were in any way violent. 
 
 
 
¶8. COMMENT: LINSU and ULSU have alleged severe human rights abuses 
and that the arrests were ordered by the GOL.  LNP reports that 
they acted to restore order and that two police stations were 
attacked, resulting in the escape of 18 prisoners.  Post has not 
substantiated any alleged human rights abuses. While the LNP could 
have responded better, and closer coordination with UNPOL could 
have diffused the riot, there is no concrete evidence that suggests 
the police committed gross human rights violations or that the 
arrests were ordered by the GOL.  The fact that the Minister of 
Public Works intervened suggests the opposite. 
THOMAS-GREENFIELD