MEDIA FREEDOM REVIEW – JUNE 2024

MEDIA FREEDOM REVIEW- JUNE 2024

The monthly ‘Media Freedom Review’ is a publication of the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) produced from the monitoring and reporting on freedom of expression and of the press, internet freedom, digital and online rights, and the safety and security of journalists in Sierra Leone.

In June 2024, MRCG monitored the online attack and intimidation of a journalist in Freetown, the physical assault of a journalist in Kenema, the arrest and detention of a lawyer at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Freetown, and the defamation matter involving two former Leone Stars players and the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA). It also followed up on various issues, including the arrest warrant for the CEO of Justice FM, the verbal threat against a freelance journalist in Bo, the invitation and detention of a journalist in Kenema, the attack on the office and staff of a radio in Makeni, Northern Sierra Leone, the assault on a journalist, alleged destruction of property of a journalist in Freetown while on duty, alleged assault on a journalist in Moyamba District, alleged physical assault of two journalists, the matter of former Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) boss, the alleged physical assault on a journalist in Waterloo, the matter between a journalist and a magistrate in Pujehun and other media engagements.

The managing editor of the New Age Newspaper, Thomas Dixon, was attacked, harassed, and intimidated online on 5 June 2024 by one Anthony Vandy for Dixon’s comments on the First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio’s speech. The online attacks and threats emanated from the journalist’s Twitter Post titled ‘The Height Of Arrogance…,’ where he described the First Lady’s speech as ‘sheer arrogance.’ The journalist told MRCG that he was not reporting the online attacks to the police because the attacks were not something new to him. SLAJ, in a press release, condemned the online intimidation and called for authorities to ensure the safety of journalists both online and offline.

Munya Bawoh, a journalist working for All Out Radio 90.1 FM in Kenema, was allegedly attacked and assaulted on 7 June 2024 by some police officers in Kenema while investigating a story at the Kenema East Police Station. According to the journalist, he had gone to the Police Station to do a follow-up on a particular story involving aggrieved visually impaired persons whose colleague was arrested and detained by the police. Upon his arrival, he called on a colleague to meet him at the police station, noting that the call offended the police officers who forcefully took his mobile phone and dragged him to the office of the Divisional Crime Officer. The Divisional Crime Officer and some other police officers reportedly slapped and molested him for allegedly doing a video recording of the visually impaired persons. He continued that with the intervention of SLAJ, he was later released on bail. The Regional Coordinator of the Complaint Discipline Internal Investigations Department (CDIID) of the Kenema East Police Division, Osman Sesay, told MRCG that they have received the complaint of Bawoh and his two witnesses together with his medical report and have started investigating the matter.

The Sierra Leone Police (SLP), 18 June 2024, arrested and detained lawyer Joy Bayoh Esq, at the CID in Freetown, for allegedly cyberstalking the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. After a Facebook post by the lawyer, she told MRCG that she was arrested and detained at the CID because of her tweet on the rule of law and democratic principles. The Police said the lawyer was arrested on an alleged crime of cyberstalking but had been released on bail. 

The MRCG monitored the defamation matter between two former Leone Stars players, Ibrahim Koroma and Samuel Barley, vs. the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA).  The High Court of Sierra Leone, ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, Ibrahim Koroma and Samuel Barley, and ordered the defendant, SLFA, to pay damages worth 3 million dollars (1.5 million dollars each). Hassan Kamara Esq., a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told MRCG that his clients took SLFA to court for defamation of character and damage to their reputations.

In a follow-up on the matter of  Alie Badara, a freelance journalist in Bo, who allegedly received verbal assaults and threatening remarks in May 2024 through a phone call from an unknown individual for a Facebook post he had done on the excesses of the police in their fight against the drug called “Kush” and other illegal substances in Bo, Southern Sierra Leone, the journalist told MRCG that he had forwarded the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for a speedy and transparent investigation. Some of the parties have made statements at the ACC. Inspector Moses Tommy Ganda, the police officer attached to the Cyber Unit at the Bo East Police Division, told MRCG they were investigating the matter.

In a follow-up on the matter of Patrick Kai, a journalist working for Calabash newspaper, who was invited for questioning on 16 April 2024 at the Kenema police division about an alleged cybercrime committed against Eastern Technical University (ETU), the journalist told MRCG that he had stopped reporting at the police station, but the matter was still under investigation. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Detective Tamba David Alpha, confirmed that the matter was still being investigated but that the journalist had been directed to cease reporting at the police station.

There is still no new development on the attack on the office and staff of Hope FM 93.3 in Makeni, Northern Sierra Leone, by a group of thugs reportedly sent by the landlord of the premises housing the radio in October 2023. Mr. Stanley Bangura, Proprietor of the radio, again told MRCG that after reaching an out-of-court settlement in February 2024, they were yet to be compensated for the damages. He told MRCG that Mr. Alie Benson Conteh (the landlord), who resides in the United States of America (USA), will be in Sierra Leone by the end of July 2024, and the radio will receive the compensation.  

There is still no new development on the alleged attack and assault of the Station Manager of Fountain of Peace Radio, Alie Tokowa, in Moyamba District on 28 March 2023. It was alleged that supporters of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), on the instruction of Mr. Joseph Gbogba, the former District Council Chairman at the SLPP’s party office in Moyamba, Southern Sierra Leone, attacked journalist Tokowa whilst on duty. Mr. Tokowa again maintained that since the State withdrew the matter from the police, no progress has been made on the matter, and as such, he was planning to file a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL). He maintained that he was yet to receive any positive response from some of the human rights organizations he had written to, to help him take legal action against his attackers. The Local Unit Commander of Police in Moyamba, ASP Franklyn Bawoh, told MRCG that the matter was still with the State Counsel.   

On the case of journalist Osman Hardy Jalloh at the HRCSL, concerning a complaint against Magistrate Joseph Toby of Pujehun Magistrate Court (formerly of Magistrate Court Number 2 in Kenema), Al Mansaray, the owner of TV-News24, in March 2023, had posted on his channel that he had filed a legal paper against the United States Government through the U.S. States Department for failing to take appropriate action when he alerted them about the abuse of power and unprofessional conduct of Magistrate Toby. The Deputy Director of Regional Service of the Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) East, Vandi Saidu, still maintained that the chief complainant, Al Mansaray, owner of TV-News 24, has not responded to the Commission’s email containing the incident summary form sent to him. Al Mansaray again refused to respond to the MRCG on the matter. The MRCG is still monitoring the matter.

On the matter of journalist Emmanuel C Thorli, Managing Editor of Night Watch Newspaper, who was arrested and detained at the CID in Freetown, allegedly for his news article titled ‘We Cannot Wait For Bio To Continue In Power Until 2028’, published on 21 February 2024, Mr. Thorli again told MRCG that he had stopped reporting at the police station, as instructed by one of the officers in-charge of the matter. Police confirmed that the journalist had stopped reporting at the station, but the matter was still under investigation.

On his other matter with the staff of Njala University, Mr. Emmanuel Thorli told MRCG that he had reported the matter to the police, and the police at the Waterloo Police Division had taken his statements and those of his witnesses. The Acting Public Relations Officer for Njala University, Ayuba Koroma, still maintained that the University had never received any police invitation regarding the matter since it happened in 2022. However, he told MRCG that he was still convinced that they had settled the matter with the journalist. On his next line of action, the journalist told MRCG that he would pursue the matter and bring his attackers to book. Police said the matter had been kept in view.

On the attack on the BBC Correspondent in Sierra Leone, Umaru Fofana, by supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party on 14 June 2023 at the New Brookfields Hotel, the matter is still under internal investigation, according to the Secretary General of the APC, Lansana Dumbuya Esq, who also told MRCG that they still can’t find the attackers, as there were a lot of people who attended the event. Mr. Fofana said that he wished there was a line of action he could take to bring the attackers to book, but he said that would be futile and that he did not trust the police either, so he is dropping the matter and moving on. 

There has been no progress on the case of the former Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Ady Macauley Esq., who was arrested and detained at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in October 2022 for expressing his legal opinion on AYV Television on the 1965 Public Order Act (POA). He was released, but the matter is still at the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

On the alleged destruction of Ibrahim Alusine Kamara’s car, Editor of Salone Compass Newspaper, during a press conference at the APC Headquarters on 25 June 2023, he told MRCG that he had not yet received any update from the Independent Police Complaint Board (IPCB) on the matter. The investigating officer at IPCB, Hawalyn Kamara, again told MRCG that a joint force ‘wearing balaclava’ was deployed to the scene the day the incident occurred and, therefore, their investigation into the matter had stalled due to lack of identification of the exact security officials that assaulted the journalist. The journalist told MRCG that he was still preparing to, through his lawyers, take the leadership of both the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) to court.

There has been no progress on the matter of Alimamy N’Jai Sesay, who was charged with five counts of various offences in the Cyber Security and Crime Act No. 7 of 2021 for sharing Abdul Will Kamara, alias Adebayor’s audios on social media. The matter is still at the High Court for trial, with the accused in remand. The matter had come up on 7 and 14 March 2024, but the accused was not in court on both days. The court Clerk, Felix Will, told MRCG that the accused might have been part of the detainees who escaped during the November 26 ‘failed attempted coup’ and had not turned himself in. He continued that the court was yet to schedule a hearing date because the Justice in charge of the matter was not in town.

In a follow-up on the arrest warrant for journalist Justice Boima, CEO of Justice FM and TV, for alleged offences relating to cyberstalking and bullying, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Amos Lansana, an officer attached to the Cybercrime Unit at the CID Headquarters and in charge of the matter, told MRCG that the journalist had neither reported to the CID nor been arrested and that they were still searching for him to start their investigation of the matter. 

On 21 June 2024, SLAJ raised concerns about using cyber law in Sierra Leone to shrink freedom of expression space.

The details of the cases and issues will be published in the MRCG Bi-Annual Press Freedom Report for December 2023 to May 2024.

The MRCG’s freedom of expression and of the press, internet freedom, digital and online rights, and safety and security of journalists in Sierra Leone initiative is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in the United States of America. The MRCG seeks to strengthen democratic dialogue and accountability, consolidate peace and ensure development through professional, independent and sustainable media, based on the right to freedom of expression and of the press.