MONROVIA – Former President George Manneh Weah’s Special Aide, Sekou Kalasco Damaro is breathing a fresh wave of freedom, having been released yesterday through a Bill of Bond secured through the instrumentality of former Maritime boss Lenn Eugene Nagbe and lawyers of the CDC.
Kalaso had spent two nights at the infamous Monrovia Central Prison, also known as South Beach, for what he said the Liberian National Police (LNP) levied trumped up “terrorist” claims against him in connection with the December 17, 2024 protest that turned violent between the police and protestors. Despite the traumatizing ordeal, Kalasco vowed never to allow his voice to be silenced by the government, promising to seek all legal remedies that will stop the government from witch-hunting critical opposition voices.
Kalasco’s Ordeal
Addressing the media on the grounds of the Temple of Justice minutes after his release yesterday, Kalasco disclosed that he was arbitrarily picked up on the street by people designated by the police inspector general, in the wake of the December 17 protest.
“But citizens have the right to petition their lawmakers. So, why would you be arresting people because you claim they were protesting and they wanted to go and see their lawmakers, and you go and indiscriminately go about and arrest them.
“As a matter of fact, where was I arrested? I was picked up when I got down from my vehicle. I was never at any protest site. I got down from my vehicle at Total Gas Station to go and get gas in the car. While standing at the gas station, I saw two to three police pickups running towards me.,” Kalasco said.
He said the police officers disembarked and started hitting him with their guns and were pulling him from all angles.
Narrating further, Kalasco said when they took him to Central, they deprived him of visitation, and food.
“In the first place, the police arraigned me at the court without taking a statement from me. I was taken to court without a single statement from the police. That’s where you know that this thing was targeted. Before you take somebody to court, there must be a statement coming from that person. But in my case, it was the contrary. They brought me here and they gave me a 5G process, only because they believed they could silence me, or they could silence people from voicing out their issues with the national government.
Further explaining his ordeal at the police station, Kalasco said some men in plain clothes visited his cell during the early morning hours and demanded to search him.
“They went to my cell around 2:00 in the morning, people without uniforms. It was through the mercy of the inmates who started banging on the door yelling, saying: ‘that the same thing you people did to that man, took him from here to carry him, you will not do it to this’ man. The noise was so severe to the extent where other people came in. Because how can you open my prison cell at 2:00 am and say you’re going to search me?
“As a matter of fact, I was glad yesterday that while I was at Central Prison, I had International Human Rights, I had the European Union, everybody going there to interview me about the reason that I am still in custody,” Kalasco narrated frustratingly.
You can’t intimidate us. I’ve been in this for a long time. Under the Unity Party government, I was incarcerated,” Kalasco stated.
Continuing, Mr. Damaro cautioned President Boakai to govern the country as he had promised.
“But Mr. Boakai is bringing us back. He has demeaned the process of peace in our country. For you to arbitrarily go in the street and start arresting citizens because you are targeting people, opposition political players only because you want to silence them is unfortunate. But this will not go unnoticed. I come from a political institution. We will be taking issues with those responsible, and my party is an official communication on why I was arbitrarily singled out by the police. When I was at the police cell, there were police people that went to the police cell, saying that we are rebels. I know him very well and I said that to our international partners. I had people intimidating me, saying that he is a rebel who fought with Charles Taylor and he can use his gun and kill me. I can identify him, but I don’t know his name.
“I was at the PSU basement, he went there with his arm and kicked the chair from under me and hit my face and said I should dress on the other side. When 107 came I explained the situation to him that one of your men here threatened me with an arm, and 107 said to me, we will investigate that matter,” Kalasco narrated further.
Eugene Nagbe Vows Legal Acts
For his part, former Maritime boss Nagbe lamented how President Joseph Boakai is not proceeding rightly, and has been flouting the constitution from the day he became president.
“What happened is not just one thing. It’s a series of violations from the get-go. The tenured positions, even though the Supreme Court ruled in the case of LTA, the president still went and removed them and put his people there. It’s not the first time. Civil servants were summarily removed from payroll. Even with the removal of Speaker Koffa, see what has happened.
“In spite of the clear error of the violation of the law by Mr. Koon and his gang, as you see, the President is calling him Speaker. It is very simple. If you want to remove the Speaker, get the 49 persons, you go to session and put your charges forward and he recuses himself, you vote and you remove him. Did that happen? No! And yet, people are saying there should be a rule of law.
“I listened to the President when he went to the Capitol Building after the fire, and said we want rule of law. But the rule of law starts with him. By grabbing Kalasco from the street even after the protest had happened? By incarcerating him and arraigning him? Even before they had him charged, he was already handcuffed and taken to South Beach. What is this?
“Peace is not just absence of war. Peace is respect for rule of law, and that has evaporated in less time than since Mr. Boakai took over. If you people think that everyone is going to bow down and allow their rights to be trampled upon, no, it’s not going to be. That will not be the case. He has the right to protest, assuming he was protesting. It’s his right. It’s enshrined in the constitution. Then why are you jailing him for exercising his rights? And you think we are just going to let it go? We will use the law and we will exercise all of our rights.
“Kalasco is on bail on my recognizance. I had to sign for him, along with the bill bond. So, we are waiting for the government to present its case. All of the charges they levied against him, that he’s a terrorist, they have to come and prove it. So, we are waiting. We have a crack team of lawyers, and we are waiting and ready. They are not ready.
“The same thing they did with the case involving the former Minister of Finance. Since he was arrested, his lawyers have been going to court up till today, the Minister of Justice says they are not ready. That they have to change the judge. It’s like in the middle of a game and you ask to change the referee, that is the only way you will play, otherwise you will walk off the field.
“Bring proof. If you have evidence against Mr. Tweah, go to court. Don’t just arrest him and walk away. You expected Kalasco to still be languishing. But there are still some good people in the judicial system.
“Kalasco’s arrest was illegal and unfortunate because he committed no crime. They brought frivolous charges upon him, so we are waiting for them to come and produce evidence. We are not running away,” Mr. Nagbe cautioned confidently.
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