THE PUBLIC OUTCRY against drug abuse, expressed in the “Say No To Drugs Campaign” a few months ago, has been intensified by the Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) in collaboration with We The People Movement and other partner institutions. The pressure groups have formally notified the Government of Liberia (GOL)—through the Ministry of Justice—of a nationwide peaceful protest scheduled for December 17, 2025, under the rallying cry, “Lead or Leave–Enough Is Enough”.
THE STAND CASE is clear: the entrenched impunity and selective justice now defining Liberia’s legal system. Rape and drug cases are selectively prosecuted based on political connections—evident in Minister Bryant McGill’s evasion of prosecution, defended by an Inspector General of Police who shields him rather than upholds the law, and George Kailondo, whose business faces serious drug trafficking allegations yet remains untouched, likely due to government connections. The December 17 “Lead or Leave – Enough Is Enough” Protest also responds to the government’s failure to address growing attacks on fundamental rights, including the unfair protection of officials accused of rape, such as Minister Bryant McGill; the shielding and selective prosecution of alleged drug traffickers, notably Mr. George Kailondo, whose business entity reportedly transports drugs between Sierra Leone and Liberia via Grand Cape Mount County; and the weaponization of the judiciary against opposition political institutions and dissenting voices.
THIS DECEMBER 17 initiative follows the historic July 17, 2025 protest, when thousands of Liberians peacefully petitioned the government for justice, accountability, and reform—only to be ignored, mocked, and dismissed.
IN ITS OFFICIAL communication to the Ministry of Justice, the coalition reaffirmed that the people’s demands remain clear and just: respect for the rule of law and protection of human rights; action against corruption, impunity, and selective justice; economic stabilization, price control, and improved healthcare; an end to gender-based violence and the selective prosecution of rape cases; a decisive fight against drug proliferation and abuse; and the adoption of meaningful reforms to lift millions of Liberians out of poverty and despair.
“SINCE THAT DAY, the government’s silence and inaction have only deepened public despair and widened the divide between the governed and those who govern. As the cost of living continues to soar and national hardship worsens, the patience of the Liberian people has been stretched to its breaking point,” STAND has observed.
