MONROVIA – Press Union of Liberia President Julius Kanubah used World Press Freedom Day in Kakata to deliver the Union’s pointed assessment of Liberia’s media climate, warning that press freedom remains under pressure despite constitutional guarantees and public commitments. His message moved beyond ceremony, naming cases of intimidation, detention, harassment, judicial overreach, traditional interference and police encounters involving journalists across the country. While honoring fallen colleagues and the sacrifices of working reporters, Kanubah placed journalist welfare at the center of the freedom debate, arguing that poverty wages weaken the press itself. His address challenged government to move from promises to practice, insisting there can be no rescue without freedom. THE ANALYST reports.
Kanubah turns celebration into warning
Press Union of Liberia President Julius Kanubah used the 2026 World Press Freedom Day celebration in Kakata, Margibi County, to deliver a sobering and wide-ranging assessment of the state of press freedom in Liberia, warning that constitutional guarantees mean little if journalists continue to face intimidation, harassment, detention, poverty wages and institutional hostility while doing their work.
Speaking before journalists, government officials, international partners, civil society actors, former PUL leaders and media colleagues, Kanubah said the observance was not merely a celebration, but a moment for honest national reflection.
He paid tribute to fallen journalists and media workers who passed away between May 3, 2025, and May 3, 2026, asking participants to observe a moment of silence in their memory. He also recognized colleagues currently battling distressing illnesses, wishing them recovery and reminding the gathering that the media community’s struggles are not only professional but deeply human.
Press freedom as the root of all freedoms
Kanubah situated Liberia’s press freedom tradition within both global and national history, recalling that World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1993, following the 1991 Windhoek Declaration in Namibia.
He said the day remains a global reminder that no democratic society can function without a free press.
In Liberia’s case, Kanubah noted that press freedom was recognized as foundational as far back as the 1847 Constitution, which declared that the liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in the state and must not be restrained in the republic.
For the PUL President, that historic guarantee remains relevant today.
“Without press freedom, there can be no other freedom,” he said, emphasizing that all other liberties depend on citizens’ ability to receive information, question authority and participate meaningfully in public life.
PUL pushes back against government anger
Kanubah also addressed recent tensions between the PUL and the Ministry of Information, following the Union’s April 22, 2026 position statement on what it described as the gradual erosion of democratic norms, particularly freedom of speech and expression, under the administration of President Joseph Boakai.
According to him, the Union’s position appeared to have angered Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah and Deputy Minister for Public Affairs Daniel Sando, who he said accused the PUL of being “katorized.”
Kanubah dismissed the characterization, saying the Union would not be distracted by labels or attacks.
“The Press Union of Liberia, under our stewardship, will and can never be an integrity-less institution,” he declared.
He said the PUL’s goal is not to provoke anger, but to advance freedoms in the public interest. Whether branded as political, divisive or compromised, he said, the Union would remain focused on its mandate.
Violations across the country
The PUL President then presented a detailed list of press freedom-related incidents recorded since the last World Press Freedom Day celebration in May 2025.
He cited threats, intimidation, harassment, assaults, lawsuits, insults, abuses and other forms of pressure against journalists and media institutions.
Among the cases was the January 2025 intimidation and harassment of Daily Observer journalists Bai Best and David Yates by the Office of Deputy Police Director for Criminal Investigations Frank Simeon, following their reporting on the mysterious death of the General Manager of Boulevard Palace Hotel.
Kanubah described the police decision to treat the journalists as “persons of interest” and “suspects” as strange and diversionary, noting that sustained PUL advocacy helped end the intimidation.
He also referenced the January 2025 altercation involving BBC journalist Moses Garzeawu and Liberia National Police officer Michael Toe. While the police investigation exonerated the officer, Kanubah said Garzeawu rejected the findings, and the PUL still considers the matter active.
Courts, detentions and judicial overreach
Kanubah further highlighted cases involving journalists and the courts.
In February 2025, Margibi-based journalists Philip Gbana and Elvis Gono were arrested and detained for three days at Kakata Central Prison after standing bond for a pregnant woman linked to a criminal matter. Kanubah said the case showed how the rule of law can be misused or abused through different means.
In July 2025, Maryland County journalist Edward Stemn of Voice of Hope was detained for about nine days on criminal contempt of court after a broadcast implicated a magistrate in alleged bribery and unlawful release of a drug suspect. Kanubah credited PUL intervention for Stemn’s eventual release.
Between August and September 2025, journalists Eric Opa Doue and Methuselah Gaye faced intimidation and harassment from local courts in River Cess. Doue was sentenced to 30 days in prison on what Kanubah described as a baseless charge of criminal coercion.
After sustained advocacy, both journalists were freed, though Kanubah acknowledged that they admitted inaccuracies in their reporting. He used the case to call for both press freedom protection and stronger journalistic ethics.
Traditional and local authority threats
The PUL President also drew attention to threats against journalists from traditional and local power structures.
He cited the June 2025 abduction of Radio Lar-Wehyi journalist Alex Yormie in Tappita, Nimba County, allegedly by members of the Poro Society after he broadcast a directive from the Ministry of Internal Affairs suspending activities related to the Poro and Sande societies.
Yormie was later returned after advocacy and police intervention, but Kanubah said the matter remained complicated after the journalist asked the Union to stay clear of his case.
More recently in Margibi County, four journalists were reportedly seized by members of the traditional Poro Society, with some saying they were “swallowed” by the country devil. Though released, the journalists reportedly declined to explain what happened, citing traditional restrictions.
Kanubah described the incident as an abuse of traditional authority and urged local leaders to uphold press freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Police and local government encounters
Kanubah also referenced the September 2025 harassment of veteran journalist Frank Sainworla by Monrovia City Police officers, who seized his phone and deleted photos he had taken during an alleged harassment of a female petty trader.
He said the incident showed that local enforcement bodies must understand the rule of law and respect media rights.
He also mentioned the use of pepper spray against journalists in Grand Bassa County who were pursuing a human-interest story involving a female police officer. That case, he said, was later resolved locally.
In Bomi County, two journalists faced criminal libel and privacy charges after publishing information related to a court order. The case was dropped following PUL advocacy.
Women journalists and online abuse
Kanubah singled out Grand Cape Mount journalist Jenneh Kemokai, who was allegedly harassed and bullied online over her reporting on schoolgirls becoming pregnant in large numbers in the county.
He praised her for standing by her work and acknowledged her presence at the World Press Freedom Day event.
The recognition underscored a growing concern in Liberia’s media landscape: female journalists are not only exposed to professional risks but also to gendered attacks, online bullying and public intimidation.
No freedom amid poverty wages
Beyond physical safety and legal pressure, Kanubah placed journalist welfare at the heart of the press freedom debate.
“There can be no press freedom when journalists live in poverty,” he said.
He described journalists’ pay in Liberia as poverty wages and said the Union, its members and former leaders must confront the issue with urgency.
Too often, he said, journalists turn to the PUL when they fall sick or face personal hardship, but the Union itself struggles to intervene effectively.
That concern, he noted, is why the PUL scheduled a discussion on journalists’ welfare and safety for Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
For Kanubah, improving welfare is not charity. It is part of protecting the integrity and independence of journalism.
No rescue without freedom
In closing, Kanubah returned to the central theme of the day and the Union’s recent confrontation with government.
He said press freedom remains the hallmark of democracy and urged Liberians to continue defending it.
“Without press freedom, there can be no development; without press freedom, there can be no human rights; without press freedom, there can be no security; and without press freedom, there can be no rescue,” he said.
He called on the administration of President Joseph Boakai to go beyond commitments and principles and demonstrate, in practice, respect for freedom of speech and expression.
The message was direct, unmistakable and politically significant.
For Kanubah and the PUL, World Press Freedom Day was not merely a ceremonial pause. It was a warning that Liberia’s democratic promise will be judged not by speeches, but by how safely, freely and fairly journalists can do their work.