River Cess County — Verity News correspondent Methuselah Gaye has been arrested and jailed under what colleagues and press freedom advocates describe as “trumped-up charges,” just days after publishing investigative reports exposing a suspected drug cartel allegedly protected by elements of state security and court officials.
Gaye and fellow journalist Eric Opa Doue recently released a series of reports implicating several individuals with alleged ties to law enforcement and influential political and judicial figures.
Eyewitnesses say Gaye was detained under unclear circumstances on Tuesday, August 13. His brother, who was present, alleged that security forces manhandled and slapped the journalist during the arrest.
Authorities have not publicly explained the reasons for his detention. However, a Writ of Arrest from the Magisterial Court accuses Gaye of publishing “misleading information” that purportedly “embarrassed the Court.”
Verity News management condemned the arrest as “a blatant crackdown on press freedom” and “repressive retaliation against a journalist doing his job,” describing it as part of a “dangerous pattern of intimidation and censorship” targeting independent media in Liberia.
Exiled Liberian activist Martin K. N. Kollie also condemned the incident, calling it “a clear case of abuse of power and a direct attack on the free press.”
“We stand firmly with Methuselah Gaye and Eric Opa Doue,” Kollie said. “We demand their immediate and unconditional release. The court and correctional systems must never be weaponized against press freedom and free speech. We are contacting our lawyers to act with urgency.”
