I worked for ABA (Liberia) Ltd, a construction and engineering company owned by my sister, Ms. Alpha Brownell at the time. Our office on 23 McDonald Street was burglarised on the night of Saturday, February 8,1992. I had a girlfriend who lived behind the office building and I decided to visit her on Sunday afternoon after a local football game at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium. While at her home, I was informed about the burglary. I went on the scene and saw the windows and doors wide open. So I closed them so as to deter further theft and went to inform my boss about the incident.

 CID officers were invited to the crime scene on Monday afternoon to investigate. I was asked to accompany them to the Police Headquarters to make a statement along with two others who were former combatants of INPFL. They were also employees and resided in the vicinity of the office.

While at the CID office, we made our statements and our interrogators told us to wait on a bench while they go to gather further evidence. That was the last time we saw them. Another group came in and demanded money and valuables from us or else we would be put in prison. I had twenty-five Liberian Dollars which I willingly gave but they said it wasnt enough. They seized my money and we were taken downstairs to the police cell. All plead for mercy fell on deaf ears. I remembered begging to give them more money if we were allowed to go to my residence but to no avail.

 The prison was a very organized room with its own system of government. The head of the Criminals government is called CIC or Commander in Chief. The CIC is often the most senior or notorious criminal in the cell and his deputy is someone of his calibre in crime. There was a Provost Officer who was responsible to bully the new inmates and make them pay 'pupu fees'. 'Pupu fees' are money and valuables collected from new inmates to help sustain the criminals because the Police or Government did not provide feeding. Some of them had no relatives and friends to bring food or money to buy cigarettes, so it was mandatory that pupu fees be collected with vigour. There was always someone there to conduct the prayers early in the morning as a religious officer.

Upon entering the police cell, I noticed a single bunk bed with no mattress on. CIC or Commander in Chief along with officials of his government slept on and the rest of the other prisoners slept on the cold floor. It is common knowledge that all inmates in Liberian jails should pay pupu fees and so we produced money and pledged allegiance to the CIC. We were frisked by the Provost and sent immediately to the toilets as initiation. The stench from the toilet was so horrible that I felt sick immediately puked all over the tiny room of area approximately nine square feet.

 We spent close to two hours in that foul toilet and upon the arrival of new prisoners, we were asked out and replaced by new inmates. The faeces and urine was in a commode without running water to flush. At the end of the day, a new inmate is taken out by the cell guard to carry the wastes to the government toilet nearby or on the beach for disposal. The cell guard also went and bought food items and cigarettes for inmates breakfast, lunch and supper. He was rewarded with daily transportation allowances by the CIC.

 My friends being accustomed to the rougher side of life as former combatants settled in easily but I was too sick to mix up. We all had to explain what we did for living and by the end of the night, the CIC made a reshuffle in his government. My friends had replaced the Provost as security due to their military experience and I was made Secretary to draft a letter explaining the deplorable conditions in the Police cell because of my educational background.

 The following morning was Armed Forces Day and a National holiday in Liberia. All offices were closed and so, we could not be released by the Police Officers on duty that day. Another group of interrogators called us up for questioning and we were handcuffed and beaten mercilessly to confess to something I knew nothing about. I told them it was silly that I would go to break into my sisters office. I was asked to pay money before being released. By that time, my mother was frantic about my where about and decided to pay the CID Officers Two Hundred Liberian dollars. I was released without charge on the following morning of February 12, 1992. 

 Life inside the Police cell is very unique in a special way because there is absolute order. It is like a routine. Wake up in the morning and have a brief prayer service and next thing is time for breakfast. After that, every body explain stories of their various career and I remembered vividly the CIC had explained how he robbed a Malaysian woman of a huge sum of money. The CID told him that if he is willing to share it with them, he would be released without trial. He said he had refused because the CID had duped him on some previous robberies. He told us that he would share the loot with the trial judge and get a lenient sentence. After that, he would travel and enjoy the fruit of his labour. He told us that the Police know all the local criminals and they all had a specific area of expertise. His specialty was Jewellery and money. He never participated in any robbery that involved lifting heavy valuables. We had to applaud him for his brilliance in crime. I was shocked as to how people talk of the way they inflicted pain and misery unto others without remorse.  It was a terrible experience being in the same room with murderers, armed robbers, etc, but the crux of the matter is that I learnt how these people behaved and their trauma.

According to MICAT quoting Police reports, the incident occurred at about 5:00 a.m. Thursday morning when a contingent of Police officers swiftly moved into the cell to rescue Cllr. Gongloe. The statement said in the "prison democracy" - new inmates, must comply with demands of those they meet upon arrival, and Cllr. Gongloe's reported refusal to comply led to a fracas which was quickly brought under control by the Police.

"He was stripped completely naked and placed in a cell with police and other state security officers in plain clothes there to torture him. All through the night, he was tortured, including being placed in faeces and urine. He was accused of being a dissident engaged in spreading negative information against the (Taylor) government," the source told allAfrica.com.

There are some questions to be asked from these revelations by the Government. How do they define swiftly moved in to rescue when the man had been screaming for help and looking at the extent of his injuries? Why was he stripped of his clothes when he was not formally charged? Why are all the other new inmates not flogged like Gongloe because if it were a regular habit to collect such fees, the Police would be moving in swiftly everyday to quell unrest in their cell as detainees are stripped of their belongings before entering the Police cell.

 Hence, Having listened to the Government of Liberia and Counsellor Tiawon Gongloe versions of the incident that led to his beating, it is easy to conclude that the Liberian Government has Lied again. Prison Democracy does not support such violence. There is a government structure in the prison and strangers cannot come from outside to flog anyone in the cell. There is a cell guard and any noise from the cell would be immediately dealt with by the police on duty. I add my voice to condemn the brutality meted against the prominent Human Rights Lawyer. Let us not waiver in condemning these abuses as the Liberian saying goes small, small will full bucket one fine day

These numerous abuse of human rights by the government of Liberia is the main factor giving the poor image of the country. The list of abuses (Flogging of interim president Sawyer and CEDE boss, C. Wesseh; jailing of a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as mistake; media clampdown; banning of public gathering; etc.) being documented against the government is endless as compared to its virtues (paving the New Kru Town road, buying new cars for officials and concubines.). Why cant the officials see reason to stop their clampdown for the sake of the nearly 3 million destitute Liberians both at home and in the refugee camps throughout West Africa. The country is for all Liberians. So why must a few people continue to cause the sufferings of millions and not showing any sign of guilt? This nonsense will have to stop. It must stop!