Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Wilson
Published on 2024-02-19 09:18:53
The findings of the Report of the Special Independent Commission of Inquiry on the November 7, 2011 violence around the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) headquarters in Monrovia revealed that then Commissioner J. Nelson Freeman entered the CDC headquarters during the violence and had an altercation with UNMIL officers who attempted to disarm him.
The report was submitted to then Justice Minister Christiana P. Tah, and a copy obtained by a paper exonerated Mr. Freeman following a series of investigations. The investigation established that Deputy Commissioner J. Nelson Freeman on November 7, 2011, entered the CDC Compound during the rioting and had an altercation with UNMIL officers who tried to disarm him.
During the altercation, Freeman discharged his service weapon in an attempt to resist disarmament by the UNMIL officers. When questioned further about why he discharged his weapon, Freeman stated that he felt constrained to fire because he was afraid that his disarmament would expose him to greater danger while in the compound of the CDC headquarters.
The Panel concluded that Officer Freeman’s discharge of his firearm was in violation of LNP Firearm Policy, but stated that the action cannot be construed as criminal because his weapon was not targeted at civilians or UNMIL personnel but was directed at the ground, causing no injuries.
The report also mentioned other officers involved in the November 7, 2011 violence. PSU Deputy Commander for Administration, Gawor Lake, was said to have fired his pistol four to five times from Tubman Boulevard into a narrow road across from and in the proximity to the CDC compound. However, a review of videos could not identify Lake firing his weapon, and the evidence available may not be sufficient to successfully prosecute him.
ERU Commander Alexander Saye was also mentioned in the report for firing his weapon four to five times from Tubman Boulevard into a narrow road across from and in close proximity to the CDC compound. Similar to Lake, the review of videos could not identify Saye firing his weapon, and the evidence may not be enough for a successful prosecution.
Officer Kleyne was reported to have fired seven rounds of cal. 5.56 mm ammunition from his M4 rifle, but no evidence of this shooting was documented, and it was not captured by any of the videos reviewed. Kleyne could not account for the seven rounds of ammunition, but how he expended the rounds was not established.
In conclusion, the findings of the Special Independent Commission of Inquiry shed light on the events of November 7, 2011, at the CDC headquarters. The report exonerated J. Nelson Freeman following a series of investigations and provided insights into the actions of other officers involved in the violence. The report highlighted the need for thorough evidence and the challenges in prosecuting individuals based on the available evidence.
Read the original article on New Republic Liberia
