MONROVIA, Liberia — The Supreme Court of Liberia has ordered the release of social media commentator Justin Oldpa Yeazehn, popularly known as Prophet Key, from the Monrovia Central Prison after he completed a six-month sentence for criminal contempt.
The release order was issued Friday, August 14, one day after Yeazehn completed the custodial portion of his sentence. It comes amid uncertainty over whether he had fulfilled additional conditions imposed by the Supreme Court in its February judgment.
The one-page order, titled “In Re: Contempt Proceedings Against Mr. Justin Oldpa Yeazehn,” was signed by Supreme Court Clerk Cllr. Sam Mamulu, bears the seal of the Court, and is addressed to the Superintendent of the Monrovia Central Prison at South Beach on Center Street.
“By directive of the Full Bench of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Liberia, you are hereby ordered to release from further detention the living body of Justin Oldpa Yeazehn, who has fully served his six (6) months sentence imposed by the Supreme Court of Liberia for contempt of court,” the order states.
The Court further declared that the directive constitutes the prison’s “legal and sufficient authority” to release Yeazehn, meaning prison authorities do not need to wait for another order from a lower court before discharging him.
Yeazehn was found guilty of criminal contempt by the Full Bench of the Supreme Court on February 13, 2026, following broadcasts in which he accused the Court of corruption and made insulting remarks about Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay and the Chief Justice’s mother.
He pleaded guilty to the contempt charge a day earlier and appealed to the Court for leniency. The resulting six-month custodial sentence ran from February 13 through August 13.
However, the February judgment imposed additional requirements beyond imprisonment. The Court ordered Yeazehn to publish an apology in three daily newspapers for five consecutive days and execute a behavior bond committing him not to repeat the conduct that led to his conviction.
Those conditions had raised questions about whether Yeazehn would be released immediately after completing his six-month prison term, particularly amid reports that he had not fulfilled them.
Friday’s release order, however, makes no reference to the apology or behavior bond. It only confirms that Yeazehn has fully served the six-month custodial sentence and directs prison authorities to release him.
The document does not clarify whether the Court determined that Yeazehn had satisfied the additional requirements or whether those conditions are being treated separately from the completed prison sentence.
The order was issued by the Full Bench during the March Term of the Supreme Court’s 2026 sitting. The bench is listed as comprising Chief Justice Gbeisay and Associate Justices Jamesetta H. Wolokolie, Yussif D. Kaba, Ceaineh D. Clinton-Johnson and Boakai N. Kanneh.
A handwritten notation at the bottom of the order indicates that the Monrovia Central Prison received the directive at approximately 10:18 a.m. on Friday.
The order clears the way for Yeazehn’s release after six months in custody, while leaving the status of the other conditions imposed in the February judgment unstated.
