(New York, April 16, 2018) Liberia’s Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Lenn Eugene Nagbe has received with shock, information of the death of Journalist Tyron A. Brown of Super FM and TV.
According to a dispatch from Liberia’s Mission to the United Nations, Minister Nagbe who’s in the United States on official business received the news while in a meeting with the Africa Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Angela Quintal.
The Information Minister disclosed that the police has begun a full scale investigation and assured that the government will leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrator (s) to justice.
Meanwhile, Minister Nagbe has reaffirmed the Liberian government’s commitment to freedom of speech and press freedom and assured that President George Weah is resolute to decriminalize speech offences in Liberia.
Minister Nagbe said the Executive, in collaboration with the Press Union of Liberia and international partners is reviewing the bill to decriminalize speech offences and will submit it to the Legislature at its current session.
The Liberian Information Minister told the CPJ that it was difficult for any government to suppress the Press with the advancement in technology and existence of social media, adding that free press is indispensible to democracy.
He assured that President Weah will continue to reach out to the media and work to ensure a better relationship.
For her part, Ms. Quintal described the death of Journalist Brown as sad and urged that whomever is responsible should not go with impunity.
Ms. Quintal welcomed government’s quest to decriminalize speech offenses but said there were still concerns that journalists can be affected by civil suits with very high damages.
She urged the government to also work to put a cap on the value of damages.
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