IFEX
Media Foundation for West Africa
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is demanding the immediate
release from prison of two Sierra Leonean journalists, Jonathan Leigh
and Bai Bai Sesay, managing editor and editor, respectively, of the Independent Observer.
The two editors were arrested by police in the Sierra Leonean
Capital, Freetown, on October 18 for the publication of an article
critical of the country's President, Ernest Bai Koroma.
The article, entitled "Who is Molesting Who: The President or the
VP?" had compared President Koroma's actions to [those of] a rat and
also criticised the president's alleged bad relationship with his
deputy, Sam Sumana.
After their arrest, the two editors were detained for six days
without bail and without any charges. They were, however, taken to court
on October 23, and charged with 26 counts of seditious and defamatory
libel, under sections 33 and 46 of the Sierra Leonean Public Order Act
of 1965. If found guilty, Leigh and Sesay will face up to 3 years
imprisonment. The case has been adjourned to Tuesday, October 29, 2013.
Eleven other journalists have been interrogated – and some detained
by police officers within the week in connection with the publication by
the Independent Observer.
Officials of the Sierra Leonean Association of Journalists (SLAJ)
have said the ongoing crackdown on press freedom is a manifestation of
the government's lack of commitment to press freedom and freedom of
expression.
"This is an attack on the press which has not been seen since the
end of the war," Kelvin Lewis, president of SLAJ said. "It is a sad day
for democracy. The journalists' rights have been violated by
unconstitutionally detaining them for more than three days and, as such,
this government can no longer lay claim to any human rights record
again," he added.
The MFWA is alarmed by the continuous detention of the two editors
and the general deterioration of press freedom and freedom of expression
conditions in Sierra Leone.
We are calling on the Sierra Leonean Police Service to allow the
statutory media regulatory body, the Independent Media Commission (IMC),
to handle media-related complaints as mandated by the Constitution. We
also urge the international community to join in demanding the immediate
release of the two journalists and to get the 26 count charges dropped.