Kanubah Decries Assaults On Free Press -Catalogs Arrests, Threats, Summons, Cybercrime Law

MONROVIA – The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) marked its 62nd anniversary by reading out a charge sheet. President Julius Kanubah listed a year of arrests, summonses, threats and prison sentences against journalists. Those named included House Speaker Richard Koon, Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman and the Ministry of Information. He also warned that the new Cybercrime Act passed with little public consultation. Yet the speech turned inward as well. Kanubah announced that a revived media council had found several outlets guilty of one-sided reporting. The union is resisting pressure from power while trying to police its own house. As THE ANALYST reports, how it handles both fights will shape press freedom in the months ahead.

The President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Julius Kanubah, has cataloged a year of arrests, detentions, threats and court actions against journalists and warned that Liberia’s new Cybercrime Act threatens press freedom and freedom of speech and expression.

Kanubah made the declaration on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Clar Marie Weah Events Hall on 12th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia, where the union celebrated its 62nd anniversary.

Kanubah reminded journalists, media practitioners, invited guests and members of the public that the formation of the union 62 years ago came out of a struggle.

He recalled that journalist Stanton Peabody was held in contempt, arrested and jailed after writing a critical article that referred to members of the Legislature as “radicals,” an act Kanubah described as the exercise of one of the most sacred rights of a journalist and the media.

Sixty-two years on, he lamented, journalists, media institutions and ordinary citizens still face a similar fate in Liberia.

A Year of Threats

Over the last 12 months, the PUL documented many instances of threats, intimidation, harassment, assaults and detention of journalists, media and communication practitioners, Kanubah disclosed.

Among them, he cited the arrest and detention of journalists Eric Opa Doue and Methesulah Gaye in Rivercess County for contempt of court and for publishing false information.

 According to Kanubah, the Cestos City Magisterial Court in Rivercess sentenced Doue to 30 days in prison on what he termed the baseless charge of criminal coercion. The journalists were set free after sustained advocacy and interventions by the PUL, he stated.

The PUL president also listed a case of infringement of press freedom by the Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, involving journalist Franklin Doloqueen, who Kanubah said was found in violation of ethical standards.

He recalled that House Speaker Richard Koon threatened to grab and jail journalists covering sessions of the House of Representatives. Koon later withdrew the threats and apologized after the PUL intervened, Kanubah noted.

Kanubah further pointed to attempts to amend the Kamara Abdullah Kamara (KAK) Act of Press Freedom to create a “Gender-Based Online Abuse and Harassment Act,” which he said represents a grave threat to freedom of speech and expression in Liberia.

He cited a writ of summons issued by the Guthrie Magisterial Court in Gbah Jarkel, Bomi County, against two Trust FM broadcast journalists, Varney Williams and William Kromah, who were summoned to answer allegations of “criminal libel” and “violation of privacy.” The charge of criminal libel, Kanubah stressed, is no longer in Liberia’s law books.

He also cited a letter by MICAT mandating Public Agenda newspaper to cease what the ministry called “illegal operation” or publication because of debts owed the ministry.

The PUL denounced the letter and warned MICAT to proceed cautiously, Kanubah recalled, because the ministry does not have the authority to shut down a newspaper outside due process before a court of competent jurisdiction.

In Margibi County, according to Kanubah, four journalists were arrested by a traditional “Country Devil” and released after apparent initiation into the Poro society.

The PUL intervened but could not visit the Country Devil, he said. The union also issued a statement titled “No Rescue Without Freedom” on the erosion of democratic freedom and freedom of expression in Liberia, he added.

Police Chief’s ‘Blanket Indictment’

Kanubah reserved some of his sharpest words for the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Col. Gregory Coleman, who accused the media of receiving money from the drug cartel.

The PUL considers the allegation, announced by Coleman on an official government communication platform at MICAT, “a reckless, risky, and blanket indictment of journalism and media in Liberia,” Kanubah declared.

He noted that the police chief has so far failed to produce evidence.

The union has concluded consultations with legal counsel on the way forward and will convene its membership at the appropriate time, Kanubah announced. He also disclosed that there is an active case between the Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL) and the Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Mo Ali.

Cybercrime Act Under Fire

Turning to legislation, Kanubah cautioned journalists to be wary of the new Cybercrime Act. While the law contains some good points and good intentions, he argued, it is seemingly a threat to the exercise of press freedom and freedom of speech and expression.

The PUL is deeply concerned about the circumstances and manner in which the legislation was enacted, he stated, adding that it appears to the union that not much public consultation was done with civil society, the media and the larger public.

Kanubah called on the government to exercise restraint and calm in enforcing the act until sufficient understanding of it is reached, and to make amendments where necessary. He also voiced the union’s concern over the use of judicial powers, in the form of contempt, to stifle freedom of speech and expression and press freedom.

Media Council Finds Violations

On ethical journalism, Kanubah announced that the National Media Council has been reactivated as a multi-sectoral stakeholders’ body responsible for looking into grievances and alleged ethical breaches. The council has conducted about nine investigations and submitted a report to the PUL leadership for action, he disclosed.

According to Kanubah, the council held journalist Charles Yates and DTV Online in violation of the ethical code of journalism in two separate cases involving the Deputy Minister for Operations at the Ministry of Lands and Mines, William S. Hines.

It reached the same finding against the Independent Newspaper in a case involving the Gambian Consulate, against Empire TV in Grand Bassa County in a case involving Mo Ali, against Afrique Daily Newspaper in a case involving Winners Pharmaceutical, and against Verity Newspaper in a case involving Haywood Mission Institute.

The council’s docket also included a case involving Charles Karpeh, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of El Logistik Inc., and Rescue TV, though Kanubah did not state its outcome. In the case involving The Daylight news outlet and Representative Thomas Romeo Quiah of Electoral District No. 1, Sinoe County, the outlet was asked to further seek an interview with the lawmaker. Kanubah explained that Quiah was initially contacted but did not respond because he was in session before the outlet’s first publication.

The case between The New Republic Newspaper and journalist Mark Mengofia was referred to the PUL leadership for further investigation because it has three layers bordering on administrative issues and labor matters, Kanubah said. He pledged that the union will indeed look into it.

Quoting the council’s report, Kanubah read: “The Council has established that media entities and journalists cited, were largely found guilty of omissions and one-sided reportage, in clear violation of the PUL code of ethics.” He reminded journalists using both traditional and social media platforms to adhere to the highest ethical code of journalism. The council is active, he explained, because one of the criticisms of journalism is that the PUL has not been able to hold itself accountable, and the union hopes the council’s work will restore that confidence.

Debts, Dues and Headquarters

On international membership, Kanubah disclosed that the union inherited a debt of about 10,000 euros owed to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which negotiations reduced to about 5,000 euros. The leadership commenced a process of payment, he said, but the process is on hold because members have not registered with the union. The IFJ has kept reminding the PUL to settle the debt or face some form of sanction, Kanubah warned, urging each member to register so that the union can meet its obligations and improve its membership status.

Membership registration is ongoing, Kanubah announced, and the union is introducing a new digital platform for registration and dues payment. The platform will be launched shortly, he said.

Kanubah also updated the gathering on efforts to construct the union’s national headquarters. The PUL has obtained its architectural design and received some forms of support from individuals and institutions in the country, he said, expressing confidence that construction would take place between October and November 2026. He repeated that the union served official notice on squatters on its property to vacate in October 2025.

Partnerships and Auxiliaries

Over the last 12 months, Kanubah stated, the PUL forged partnerships for capacity-building, some of which are still to come. He cited a partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco to strengthen cooperation on capacity-building and to establish a center of media excellence, the empowerment of journalists in Sinoe County, and a workshop organized by the Liberian Environmental Journalist Network to advance specialized reporting on agriculture.

The union also took part in a Liberia data governance workshop and in media security conferences on elections in Zwedru, Buchanan and Ganta, he noted. Kanubah listed the High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue on Access to Public Information in Liberia, organized by the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP) in collaboration with the Independent Information Commission (IIC) as part of the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by Internews.

Other engagements included a one-day seminar on strategic media management organized by the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the Amos C. Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Liberia (UL), and the Office of the Ombudsman’s stakeholders’ conference and technical workshop. Kanubah further cited the ninth anniversary celebrations of Pumah FM in Tubmanburg, an exploration of partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a Rule of Law Coordinating Meeting at the Ministry of Justice on UN Drive, Newport Street, Monrovia, in April 2026, and the training of journalists in Nigeria through the Office of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

On the union’s auxiliaries, Kanubah acknowledged tensions in the Reporters Association of Liberia (RAL) and the Association of Judicial Reporters of Liberia (AJURL). Elections have been held in the RAL, the Ministry of Information Reporters Network and, recently, the Executive Mansion Press Corps, he said, adding that AJURL will hold its elections very soon.

As the PUL celebrates 62 years of persistence and resilience, Kanubah observed, the empowerment of the media remains under discussion, with reporters, publishers, media owners and workers sharing a general concern about the welfare of journalists and the financial capacity of the media. That concern, he explained, informed the union’s decision to invite leading experts in international finance, media, law, diplomacy and development to help it think through how the independent media can be empowered.

Honoring Departed Colleagues

Earlier, Kanubah led the gathering in a moment of silence in honor of colleagues who have died. He named Jonathan Browne, Seibo Daniels, D. Ignatius Roberts, Frank Loboe, Samukai Dukuly, Joel N’Gado Bou Jacobs, Amos Mulbah Kornomugie, Daniel Zayzay, James Paykoo, Molley Passawe, Babason Harris, Peter Kieh Doe, Charles Johnson and Ernest Kiazolu.

The celebration drew the World Bank Group Country Manager for Liberia, Georgia Wallen; the Minister Plenipotentiary and Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Lahoucine Rahmouni; Ambassador and Counselor Medina Wesseh, Senior Counsel at the International Law Group; and Armah Johnson, Acting Head of the Compliance Unit at the IIC. Also present were Professor Weade Kobbah-Boley, Vice President for Institutional Development at UL, and former PUL President Charles Coffey. Kanubah congratulated the journalists, media and communication practitioners, guests and members of the public for joining the celebration, a year after the union observed its 61st anniversary in Monrovia, and closed with the words “long live the PUL.”