The Zainab Sheriff detention: the state fails again on freedom of expression
This week, one of the country’s most influential women on the arts and entertainment scene, Zainab Sheriff spent two nights in police custody for scathing criticism of the President on social media. While the celebrity received a lot of support for the comments, government supporters hold a different view—she went overboard. That is not the […]
Boika’s Assassination: How Makeni became a ‘special’ case
The assassination of a top police officer in Makeni last week has been widely condemned by Sierra Leoneans. Even members of the diplomatic community joined in the condemnation. And we add our voice to it. The right to life is sacrosanct! And the nature of such a killing is abhorrent to us all. As […]
The ‘rallying’ cry: Sierra Leone’s lazy approach to addressing public order concerns
Processions and parades are the right of political parties and individuals who support them. Those who want to parade the streets in their party colours, drink and dance should be able to do so. These are consenting adults and one would wonder why the PPRC is making it its business to regulate how people conduct their lives. Even when they do not conduct themselves properly, institutions like PPRC and the Police should be able to hold the parties responsible, to account. In cases where culprits can be identified, they must be held accountable for contravening established laws. We cannot ban people from exercising their rights just because we do not agree with the way they choose to do it.
The Gento gaffe and its roots in the nature of our politics
The Gento gaffe has been the subject of several press releases and discussions over the week. Once again, it brought to the fore the extent of our polarised politics, as people across the divide engage in the usual attack-defend game. With such political matters, we easily get stuck in the -right-or-wrong debate, ignoring the need […]
Our missing Professor-Governor
When Julius Maada Bio was elected President in 2018, one of his immediate actions was to appoint Kelfala Kallon as Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone. A Professor in Economics from the University of Colorado and a critic of the economic and fiscal policies of the Koroma-led APC, Kallon was presented as the man […]