PUBLISHER ARRESTED FOR SEDITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONROVIA 000949 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2019 TAGS: PHUM ASEC PREL KJUS GV LI SUBJECT: PUBLISHER ARRESTED FOR SEDITION Classified by: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) The Government of Liberia has brought charges of sedition and "criminal libel against the President" against the publisher and printer of the Liberian newspaper "The Plain Truth" after printing an article on December 9, from supposedly Guinean intelligence sources, that the Liberian government was complicit in smuggling arms to a Guinean insurgency group seeking to overthrow the junta. Both were supposed to appear in court December 22 to answer the charges, but the prosecution did not show. The Publisher, Cyrenius Cephus, was arrested on December 12 for questioning at both the Ministry of Justice and National Security Agency, but refused to divulge his source. Cephus and printer Michael Makinda (a Nigerian) were re-arrested on December 15 on the charges. They were released on bail on December 16, after a night in Monrovia Central Prison. ¶2. (C) President Sirleaf told Ambassador December 22 that what the editor did was "mischief" and he knew what he was doing. She said she instructed the Minister of Justice to ensure that the proper legal steps were taken in order to charge the two. She said, however, that the government had determined that the printer Makinda was not involved in the decision and would likely drop the charges against him. ¶3. (C) Minister of Justice Christiana Tah told A/DCM December 17 that the arrest was made because the government believes that the information was completely baseless but could be destabilizing for Liberia and the region. She said the Guinean Ambassador, Abdoulaye Dore, called on her personally to encourage the government to arrest the journalists in order to determine who the source of the information was. According to Dore, the article has created a threat to Liberian citizens in Guinea and some Liberians have already been harassed. Minister of State Edward McClain told A/DCM that the GOL was concerned that the junta might use the article as proof of Liberian interventionism. The timing was bad, as the story came at the same time as the December 17 UNSC resolution easing the arms embargo on the GOL. ¶4. (U) The government reacted publicly to the newspaper report, with one government official quoted in the press that the allegation was "beyond human imagination" and that Liberia does not have weapons to send. The presidential spokesman is quoted as calling the article a "reckless lie" that "fails to take into account the fragility in Guinea" that could ultimately affect Liberia. At the same time, the spokesman asserted that the President "will never do anything to curtail the freedom of the press." ¶5. (U) The Press Union of Liberia criticized the arrest as an attack on free speech. Other Liberian and international groups have also spoken out against the government's actions. The arrests were reported prominently on BBC radio. However, the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission said that the paper should have checked with the government before publishing the report. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: While this event needs to be reported in our human rights report on Liberia, we do not see this incident as an active attempt by the government to erode freedom of the press. Rather, it is a clear demonstration of the government's unease about the situation in Guinea and being dragged into a conflict it wants desperately to avoid. The government's response may not have been the best, as it could lead to further attacks on the press, but understandable under the circumstances. For its part, the Liberian press, known for its poor newsgathering and desire to sensationalize stories to sell papers, needs to reflect more on responsible journalism. The result, however, may be to make a hero of the editor of a newspaper published only sporadically and with little readership. THOMAS-GREENFIELD