This report, which addresses issues on ‘Freedom of Expression and of the Press, Access to Information, and Internet Freedom and Digital Rights in Sierra Leone,’ is the fourteenth in a series produced by the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) through a component of a project titled “Enhancing Press Freedom and Media Reforms in Sierra Leone,” supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in the United States of America. The report, covering the period December 2024 to May 2025, reflects the monitoring of the exercise and legal guarantees of freedom of expression, the press, internet freedom, and digital rights in Sierra Leone. It includes issues such as invitations, intimidation, attacks, assaults, arrests, detentions, and prosecutions of journalists and other citizens, as well as monitoring media performance.
This edition is organised around the following areas: Thematic Issues-freedom of Expression and the Press (mainly focusing on the assault, arrest, and detention of journalists and other citizens); Right to Access Information, Internet Freedom, and Digital Rights; Media and Good Governance; Performance of Media Institutions; Positions of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the Government on these issues; Status of Media and Communication Laws in Sierra Leone; Conclusion; Recommendations; References; and Appendices.
The Report was produced by monitoring issues relating to freedom of expression and the press, internet freedom, and digital rights, which were broadcast on radio and television stations, published in newspapers, and posted on social media platforms. Where necessary, individuals who were either reportedly attacked or arrested were interviewed. Officials from institutions named in some of the reported issues were also interviewed.
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