Sierra Leone

(MFWA/IFEX) – On 27 July 2004, Justice Edmond Cowan, speaker of the Sierra Leonean Parliament, banned the privately-owned “Standard Times” newspaper from covering parliamentary sessions for one month. The speaker’s action came after the publication in early July of an article in the newspaper, under the caption, “MP Thrown Out of Parliament”, which the legislative […]

(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an IPI letter to President Tejan Kabbah, copied to the minister of information: H. E. Tejan Kabbah Office of The President State House Freetown, Sierra Leone Fax: +232 22 231404 Minister of Information Youyi Building, 9th Floor Freetown, Sierra Leone Fax: +232 22 231404 Vienna, 19 March 2004 Your Excellency, […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the raid by several dozen police officers on the offices of the independent daily “Awoko”, in the capital, Freetown, on 21 January 2004. Three journalists were manhandled by police during the raid. The raid came after three journalists from the paper went to the scene of an accident, in which […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 24 November 2003 CPJ press release: SIERRA LEONE: Police seize newspaper’s equipment New York, November 24, 2003-Heavily armed police this morning confiscated all equipment belonging to the independent For Di People newspaper, in connection with a hefty damages award in a civil libel case. Editor Paul Kamara, who is […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert: **MISA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity, will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org and www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information** On 11 October 2003, Paul Kamara, editor […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert: On 9 October 2003, Paul Kamara, the editor and proprietor of “For-Di-People” newspaper, was ordered to pay damages and cover costs of a libel suit that was brought against him. High Court Justice Ademusu awarded damages of Le 60 million (approx. US$24,500) to be paid within […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is an 8 October 2003 CPJ press release: SIERRA LEONE: Newspaper editor harassed New York, October 8, 2003-Paul Kamara, founding editor of Sierra Leone’s popular For Di People newspaper, has been detained by police three times since Friday, October 3, in connection with that day’s lead story. According to news reports, […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release: PROMINENT SIERRA LEONEAN JOURNALIST RELEASED New York, March 11, 2003-Prominent Sierra Leonean journalist Paul Kamara, founding editor of the popular For Di People newspaper, was freed today after spending four months in prison on criminal libel charges. Kamara was released from Freetown’s Pa Demba Road Prison […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 13 November 2002 CPJ press release: SIERRA LEONE: Prominent editor jailed and paper banned New York, November 13, 2002-Paul Kamara, the founding editor of one of Sierra Leone’s leading newspapers, For Di People, was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison for defaming a local judge, said sources in […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 12 September 2002, RSF expressed concern over a decline in press freedom in Sierra Leone after the country’s media commission ordered the shutting down of an independent newspaper and denied a broadcasting licence to a privately-owned radio station. “These actions were taken by the Independent Media Commission [IMC], yet this group is […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release: CPJ RELEASES SPECIAL REPORT ON SIERRA LEONE New York, August 15, 2002-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today released a special report about the challenges facing journalists in Sierra Leone since the signing of a peace agreement between government and rebel forces in July 1999-an agreement […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, RSF protested the suspension of the daily “African Champion Newspaper” and its editor by the Independent Media Commission, a regulatory body for the journalism profession. Explaining that the organisation did not wish to comment on the facts of the case, RSF asked the head of […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Sierra Leonian President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, RSF asked the head of state to publicly confirm his commitment to press freedom and take concrete measures to ensure that journalists can work freely and safely. “Journalists cannot do good work in a context of fear and incessant threats,” stated RSF Secretary-General […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 25 September 2001 CPJ press release: SIERRA LEONE: Seven journalists threatened with assassination New York, September 25-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned for the safety of seven Sierra Leonean journalists, all longtime critics of the government who received identical anonymous death threats during the last week. […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of Transport and Communications Momoh Pujeh, RSF protested against the attack on Mustapha Bai Attilla, a blind reporter from the radio station Voice of the Handicapped. The organisation called on the minister to “do everything in his power to ensure that such assaults against journalists do not happen […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 7 September 2000 ARTICLE 19 press release: UK GIVES UN THE GO-AHEAD FOR FIRST £10,000 ON SIERRA LEONE TRUTH COMMISSION London and Freetown: – ARTICLE 19 today welcomed the British Government’s announcement that it has asked the UN to release £10,000 (1) for local organisations to begin public […]