Sierra Leone

(CPJ/IFEX) – On 26 March 1998, Sorie Fofana, editor of “The Vision” newspaper, was detained by police and held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Freetown. The arrest was in connection with a headline story reporting that President Kabbah’s military advisor, Sheka Mansaray, refused to allow the police to search his car at a […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – According to CPJ, at 9a.m. on 31 March 1998, Dennis Smith, former on-air broadcaster with the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS), Gipu Felix George, former Director of SLBS, Olivia Mensah, former newscaster with SLBS, Maada Maka Swaray, former newscaster with SLBS and William Smith, a reporter with “We Yone”, an AFRC-financed newspaper, appeared […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – ARTICLE 19 has expressed great concern about the serious attacks on press freedom, including the banning of newspapers and the exile, imprisonment and torture of journalists, during the recently ended period of military rule in Sierra Leone. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the restoration of the democratically elected government in Sierra Leone and the […]

(JSS/IFEX) – According to JSS, Teun Voeten, a Dutch freelance journalist and photographer working for the Dutch magazine “Vrij Nederland” and the Belgian newspaper “De Morgen”, arrived safely in Belgium on 8 March 1998. Voeten had been missing in Sierra Leone since 13 February 1998. Voeten went into hiding after a run-in with soldiers from […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – ARTICLE 19 is concerned about the safety of a number of journalists reported to be in the custody of the West African Peace Keeping Forces (ECOMOG) since the capture of Freetown. The following are believed to by held by ECOMOG at present: **New cases and updates IFEX alerts as noted in text** […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 4 February 1998, the independent triweeklies “The Vision” and “Independent Observer” were officially suspended for failing to pay their registration taxes. On 21 January 1998, the Minister of Information had demanded that newspapers be registered or re-registered before 31 January 1998, for a fee of 50 US$ and 25 US$ respectively. On […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – On 30 January 1998, Michael Lawson, a student at Fourabhay College University, Freetown, was arrested and detained along with another unidentified man for having allegedly supplied information to a clandestine radio station. It seems that no criminal charges have been brought against the two men, who have already been held beyond the […]

(RSF/IFEX) – The whereabouts of Anthony Swaray, a freelance journalist arrested on 14 January 1998, are still unknown. Swaray was arrested along with Desmond Conteh, a reporter for the newspaper “We Yone”, on suspicion of providing information to the clandestine radio station 98.1 FM. Conteh was released on 21 January (see IFEX alert of 26 […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – Sorie Sudan Sesay, a senior journalist for the “Independent Observer”, has been forced into hiding following the issue of a warrant for his arrest in connection with an article claiming that Iranian soldiers were due to come to Sierra Leone. As well, “The Democrat” suspended publication in recent days following threats from […]

(CCPJ/IFEX) – On 25 May 1996, a bloody military coup in Sierra Leone terminated the West African nation’s first meaningful experiment in pluralistic democracy. The Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) which overthrew the constitutional government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah have since embarked upon a campaign of repression against any perceived opponent of the junta, […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – According to Article 19, at the time of the arrest of “Herald Guardian” newspaper journalist Sylvanus Kanyako (see IFEX alert), jounalists David Koroma and Mohamed Kallon were also arrested. The three were arrested by officers of the National Intelligence Service at the newspaper’s offices. According to ARTICLE 19’s information, the reason for […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – On 17 January 1998, Michael Danielson, a sports writer for the “Independent Observer”, was arrested by soldiers in Freetown. He is still being held at an unknown location. Danielson had been in Freetown researching a story about a soldier. In the course of his research the soldier came to his home and […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 10 January 1998, Sylvanus Kanyako, a journalist with the private newspaper “Herald Guardian” was allegedly arrested. This arrest is thought to be connected to an article published the day before which urged parents not to send their children to school due to the insecurity in the country. The authorities gave no reason […]

(IPI/IFEX) – Ibrahim Karim Sei, editor of the privately-owned magazine the “Standard Times”, and Dorothy Awoonor-Gordon, acting editor of the “Concord Times”, were arrested on 21 November 1997 and are still in detention. Previously, on 12 November, national radio had announced the decision of the military authorities to suspend temporarily “Standard Times”. The editors had […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 12 November 1997, national radio announced the decision of the military junta to suspend temporarily the privately-owned magazine “Standard Times”. The magazine had published an article, entitled “Warlords Want to Invade Guinea”, accusing the military junta and the Liberian government of supporting the son of the former President of Guinea in his […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – Winston Ojukutu, correspondent for the BBC, was arrested on 5 November 1997. His arrest was in connection with ad-hoc interviews he held with the public on their reaction to a public statement made by the ruling Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) about their unwillingness to disarm until ECOMOG forces followed suit. Ojukutu’s whereabouts […]