Weah promises media freedom following allegations of gagging press

Liberia’s President George Weah has promised to deepen media freedom during a meeting with the country’s media practitioners on Friday.

The Weah administration, which has been in place for a little over three months, has not been spared by the Liberian media.In the face of accusations that he intends to gag the press, the former footballer rather guaranteed them complete freedom.

“I always use you as an example. When I supported human rights in this country, you were against me. But I always remembered you because at that time, what I was doing was to keep the country from being torn apart. And I’m glad you’re here today. Now, together we must create this environment, this awareness, so that Liberians can forgive themselves, and we can move forward “, said Weah.

In March, during a visit to Freetown ,Sierra Leone, the UN rapporteur on freedom of expression, David Kaye, called on the Weah administration to build on Liberia’s achievements in this area, insisting on “decriminalizing defamation” and “transforming the media industry .