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Government drops charges against religious leaders

    MONROVIA

    The Liberian government on Friday dropped treason charges against two officials of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia and freed them from further detention.

    Justice Minister and Attorney General Lavela Koboi Johnson said the government took the decision because it did not have a case against the two religious leaders, David Kiazolu and Rev. Christopher Toe who had been in detention since 28 December.

    Johnson noted that the government was committed to the search for a lasting peace in the country and added that any process towards finding a solution to the country's conflict should not be done in secret.

    The two men were arrested, detained and charged with treason for allegedly being collaborators of the rebels Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) who have been to oust the government of President Charles Taylor since 1998.

    They were arrested while downloading an email message from LURD officials at a local internet cafe in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. The message contained the acceptance of LURD to attend peace talks scheduled for 23 January in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

    According to the chairman of the Council, Catholic Archbishop Michael K. Francis, the pending talks are aimed at bringing together the government and LURD for the first time to find solution to the present armed hostilities in the country.

    It will be convened under the auspices of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament with the Sierra Leonean government being the host.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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