Liberia charges 14 ex-soldiers
2007-09-20 07:22
Monrovia - Fourteen Liberian ex-soldiers who staged violent protests demanding pension payouts early this week were on Wednesday arraigned before a court facing riot and assault charges.
The demonstrators had on Monday night mounted barricades along the streets using rocks and logs or lighting fires in the middle of streets, disrupting the flow of traffic.
Prosecutors also accused them of beating up Liberian policemen who tried to put down the demos.
Armed United Nations military and police peacekeepers came to the aid of the Liberian police to quell the demonstrations.
The demonstrators were remanded in custody and their trial date was yet to be set.
Demonstrations over pension payouts had been frequent in Liberia since the government of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took over the cash-strapped country last year in January.