Monrovia, Liberia – The Liberia National Police have been warned by the National Students Union of Liberia (LINSU) to refrain from engaging in violent invasions of University of Liberia campuses.
Speaking Thursday, November 21, 2024, in Monrovia, James G. Washington, the head of the student organization, said that LINSU has denounced the recent, frequent brutalization of defenseless, unarmed students at the state-owned University of Liberia (UL) and warned Inspector General Gregory Coleman and the Liberia National Police (LNP) about the regular attacks on University of Liberia campuses by half-processed LNP gunmen.
He claimed that these kinds of activities compromise academic freedom and disturb the classroom atmosphere. “As direct representation of the students in Liberia, we are calling on the LNP to respect the grounds of learning institutions in Liberia as spaces for intellectual growth and peaceful engagement.”
According to Washington, LINSU believes the LNP mistakenly thought that the campuses of the University of Liberia were war zones. They said that a video that was recently making the rounds on social media showed LNP officers brutalizing students who had already been arrested and placed in detention.
“We hope that this irrational and chaotic act by the LNP won’t happen again against any students in the Republic in the future.”
He stated that the police have to immediately put an end to what are being called unjustified muggings of University of Liberia (UL) campuses and students.
“It must be made known for the records that the position of LINSU on the gangsterism acts of the LNP GUNMEN against the students highlights the institution concerns about the safety and freedom of our students on campus, particularly regarding their right to peaceful assembly and expression.”
In light of LINSU’s larger mission to safeguard student interests, advance academic freedom, and cultivate a cooperative relationship between students and national social institutions in Liberia, the head of the student body reiterated the significance of respecting academic spaces as areas of intellectual engagement and freedom. As a result, the LNP was urged to act within the bounds of the law when handling security issues on school campuses or student-related matters nationwide.
“We will not tolerate and endure any act from anyone or the LNP that violates the rights of students and young people in the country.”
Reported by: Prince Saah
Contact: +231778239813
Email: saahprince119@gmail.com
