(MFWA/IFEX) – On 26 July 2004, Alex James, station manager of Citizen FM, a privately-owned community radio station located in the east of the capital, Freetown, was attacked by a group of armed youth in the community. James was returning home from work when he was attacked by the youth, who robbed him of his […]
(MFWA/IFEX) – On 26 July 2004, Alex James, station manager of Citizen FM, a privately-owned community radio station located in the east of the capital, Freetown, was attacked by a group of armed youth in the community. James was returning home from work when he was attacked by the youth, who robbed him of his jewelry, cash and two mobile phones.
Three days later, on the night of 29 July, the same armed youth group assaulted Alie Bai Kamara, a Citizen FM reporter, and left him in a coma. The youths left Kamara with lacerated lips, bruised arms and swollen eyes.
According to MFWA sources in Sierra Leone, the attack on Citizen FM station staff came after the 23 July edition of a popular programme broadcast by the station criticised the Kissy police station, in the east of Freetown, for not doing enough to rid the area of ghettos that have become breeding grounds for criminals. The programme is hosted by journalist David Tam Baryoh and has a phone-in segment which affords the public an opportunity to express their views on issues being discussed.
Police authorities at the Kissy police station were said to be embarrassed about the views expressed by the public on the matter. A day after the programme aired, the police embarked on a search and destroyed some ghettos in the community.
The armed youth group accused the station of being critical of activities in their area. They claimed the station “betrayed the community,” since most of the station’s workers live in the same community.
