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The Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), in firm alliance with WE THE PEOPLE Movement, says it rejects a recent joint statement issued by the Ministry of Education and the Liberia National Police on June 18, 2025, titled “Enforcement of Ban on Street Parades during Gala Day, Graduation, and WASSCE Celebration.”
According to STAND, this announcement is not only unlawful, unjustifiable, and disingenuous, but it marks a dangerous escalation in the Boakai Administration’s sustained assault on civil liberties and democratic norms.
“As architects of the irreversible July 17 ‘Enough is Enough’ nationwide protest, we denounce this brazen attempt to criminalize joy and censor public expression. Disguised as a public safety measure, this decree is nothing short of executive overreach and legal distortion”, the group says.
In a statement, STAND says it finds the government’s invocation of Article 15 of the Liberian Constitution to justify this ban both shameful and legally indefensible, arguing that in truth, Article 15 stands in direct contradiction to the government’s current actions: “Every person shall have the right to freedom of expression, being fully responsible for the abuse thereof. This right shall not be curtailed, restricted or enjoined by government save during an emergency declared in accordance with this Constitution.”
It notes that there is no declared state of emergency in Liberia hence, no legal, constitutional, or moral justification for what it terms reckless and dictatorial edict, saying “This is not governance—it is authoritarian aggression cloaked in bureaucratic language. It is a cowardly abuse of public power, aimed at silencing lawful celebration, criminalizing joy, and instilling fear—even silencing the laughter of schoolchildren on the very day meant to honor their hard work and dreams.”
STAND continues that the complicity of the Minister of Education in this political charade is disgraceful and dangerous, noting that the office charged with safeguarding learners has now been weaponized to suppress, humiliate, and punish them.
“By siding with state repression over student empowerment, the Minister has committed a profound betrayal of public trust, constitutional duty, and educational integrity. History will not record her as a leader, but as an enabler of tyranny.”
It further argues that the government’s reference to Sections 17.3 and 17.4 of the Liberian Penal Code is equally deceptive, adding “These laws address public disturbances—not school parades. They do not grant the executive blanket authority to ban peaceful, supervised public assemblies, especially not ones involving students and families.”
According to STAND, there exists no statute in Liberian law that criminalizes peaceful student celebrations, and that applying these provisions in this context is a blatant misuse of legal instruments to serve a political agenda.
It reminds that Liberia is a signatory to key international human rights frameworks, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—both of which affirm:
• Freedom of Expression (UDHR Art. 19 / ICCPR Art. 19)
• Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (UDHR Art. 20 / ICCPR Art. 21)
STAND quotes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 21 explicitly as saying: “The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society…”
It argues that this arbitrary ban is neither lawful nor necessary, and is politically motivated, in breach of Liberia’s international obligations, and opens the government to both regional and international scrutiny.
STAND continues that it is clear that this arbitrary action is not about safety, noting that if safety were the concern, the Police would be creating protective measures—not banning peaceful gatherings. “Students are not threats; they are our children, our future, and the very symbol of hope in a nation desperate for renewal”, it adds.
It says the ban sadly and simply reflects a government afraid of its own people; a regime so insecure it sees even children’s parades as threats, saying “This directive is not isolated, as it is a test-run for broader repression, including efforts to fruitlessly stifle the July 17 ‘Enough is Enough’ protest. The Boakai administration is testing the limits of public resistance. We are here to make it clear: those limits have been reached.”
STAND and all allied civil society forces will not allow the systematic dismantling of our freedom; the statement says, adding “We will not allow fear to replace freedom.” Statement.
