Ebola: Liberian Prez’s son wants rally ban lifted

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s son, who is running for a Senate seat, has filed a lawsuit contesting her Ebola-related ban on political rallies, an official said on Monday.

While Liberia is the country most affected by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, infection rates are stabilizing there, and the government has decided to go ahead with the December 16 election. Police initially agreed to allow political rallies and gatherings in the run-up to the vote, which had previously been postponed.

Last week, the President issued a ban on all gatherings in the capital, citing fears they could help spread Ebola. There were concerns the president was using Ebola as an excuse and imposed the ban because large crowds gathered in support of her son’s opponent. Robert Sirleaf, who is running for a seat in the Monrovia area, has now filed a suit, asking for the ban to be lifted. The Supreme Court put a stay on the ban until it can hear the suit, Information Minister Lewis Brown said on state radio on Monday. The case is scheduled to be taken up this week, he said.