Reporter Nixon Todd was investigating a story on a demolition by the Monrovia City corporation task force, which is headed by the mayor.
(CEMESP/IFEX) – On 3 April 2010, reporter Nixon Todd of Love FM Radio and Television stations was arrested, flogged, handcuffed and thrown in the back of a pick-up on the orders of Acting Monrovia City Mayor Mary Broh.
The reporter was subsequently detained for several hours after he was interrogated by authorities of the Monrovia City Police on Broh’s orders.
Todd had gone to the Capitol Bye-Pass in central Monrovia to investigate a story on a demolition by the Monrovia City corporation task force, which is headed by Broh, when he was arrested.
Broh, who was quoted as vowing to “teach the reporter a lesson”, rejected a request from the management of Love FM/TV for the immediate release of Todd.
In a statement issued on 3 April, the management of Love FM Radio and Love TV said it was “deeply troubled” by the arrest of its reporter and called on freedom of expression advocates in Liberia to ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted into the “systematic attacks” on members of the independent media by powerful people in government.
The management says it sees the arrest and brief detention of its employee as unwarranted and a ploy to clamp down on independent media.
