-Threatens Journalists
MONROVIA, Liberia – The House of Representatives tuesday’s sitting experienced an hour of delay due to a lack of quorum. Following the delay, Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon threatened to jail journalists who attempted to report on the legislative paralysis.
By Jerromie S. Walters/Legislative Reporter wjerromie@womenvoicesnewspaper_i2sktp
The 12th day of the 3rd Quarter, was formally called to order with a prayer. Proceedings halted immediately during the roll call, however, when only nine of the 73 members were found to be present. The number fluctuated between eight and eleven lawmakers for over an hour, preventing any legislative business from being conducted.
Speaker Koon instructed the Sergeant-at-Arms to summon representatives from their offices. An announcement was also broadcast through the chamber’s speaker system, directing lawmakers to attend “by directive of the speaker.” These efforts failed to secure a quorum, leaving the Speaker and a small group of members waiting in the nearly empty chamber for over an hour.
Article 33 of the 1986 constitution States, “A simple majority of each House shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a lower number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members. Whenever the House of Representatives and the Senate shall meet in a joint session, the presiding officer of the House Representatives shall preside.”
It was just after 11:00am when less than thirty lawmakers were present but the Deputy Chief Clark announced that they were over thirty and had gotten quorum to conduct legislative business. Many view
Tuesday’s event as a continuation of the leadership crisis that plagued the House for most of the past year. The conflict began in October 2024 when a group of lawmakers moved to remove then-Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa.
The situation escalated the following month with the controversial election of Richard Nagbe Koon as Speaker. Koffa’s supporters rejected the outcome, calling it fraudulent. The standoff led to a series of confrontational actions, including Koon’s installation of steel doors on the main chamber and his seizure of the former Speaker’s office. Liberia’s Supreme Court intervened on April 23, 2025. It ruled all official actions taken by Koon’s bloc without the elected Speaker were unconstitutional.
The ruling effectively invalidated Koon’s authority during that period. Cllr. Koffa resigned on May 12, 2025, to end the legislative impasse. The House accepted his resignation and held a new speakership election the next day. Richard Nagbe Koon officially won the position against Representative Musa Hassan Bility. Pundits believe that the low attendance at Tuesday’s session suggests deep political divisions within the House persist.
Speaker Koon Issues Jail Threat to Journalists
As the quorum delay continued on Tuesday, journalists began documenting the scene. They took photographs and recorded the largely vacant chamber. Speaker Koon noticed the press activity and issued a direct warning. “To the press, this session is not legal yet,” Koon stated. “Any recording from here, we will deal with you. You carry any recordings from here, when we catch your, we will jail your.”
Koon has since been condemned by many for his comments, as they argue his threats directly violate the Kamara Abdullah Kamara (KAK) Act of Press Freedom. Former President George Manneh Weah signed the KAK Act into law in 2019. The legislation decriminalized speech by repealing several statutes used to prosecute journalists. These included criminal libel against the president, sedition, and criminal malevolence.
Article 3 of the KAK Act explicitly repeals all statutory provisions used to criminalize speech and expression. The law reinforces the free speech guarantees found in Article 15 of Liberia’s 1986 Constitution. By threatening imprisonment, Speaker Koon invoked a form of state intimidation that his own institution had legally abolished. The incident raises serious concerns about the government’s commitment to press freedom and public accountability.
