The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has condemned the failure of authorities to arrest Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Bryant McGill, who is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. AFELL President, Cllr. Philomena Williams, cautioned against any attempt to compromise the case, stressing: “Anyone found interfering or intervening for a compromise of the case will be held for obstruction of justice, which is a violation of the Penal Law of Liberia.”
The group which has long championed the protection of women and girls, pledged to support the Ministry of Justice in ensuring the matter is prosecuted. At the same time, AFELL called on government to adequately fund and renovate the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Unit at the Justice Ministry to improve its ability to handle such cases. While acknowledging that McGill, like all accused persons, has rights under the law, AFELL insisted that justice for the survivor must be paramount.
“We therefore call on the police to speedily investigate this grave crime by conducting thorough examinations, while utilizing a survivor-centered approach, and immediately arrest Deputy Minister Bryant McGill to forward the case to court,” Cllr. Williams emphasized. The association expressed shock that nearly two weeks after the complaint was filed on September 2, the suspect has not been arrested. During a follow-up visit to police headquarters on September 15, AFELL delegates said they were “dismayed” to see McGill “loitering at the station” instead of being in custody.
According to the survivor’s father, a medical examination confirmed the 14-year-old was sexually abused. AFELL underscored that such evidence constitutes statutory rape under Liberian law, stressing: “In cases of statutory rape, where the victim is underage, the consent of the victim is irrelevant, and evidence of the sexual act is sufficient for probable cause.”
The group said the medical report and the identification of the suspect by the survivor already present enough evidence to warrant McGill’s arrest. AFELL also expressed sympathy to the family of the survivor, encouraging them to remain patient, adding: “We are certain that the law will take its course.”
Author: Cooper K. Sangar Jr.
