Going after National Elections Watch is a very bad idea
In an unprecedented and controversial move, Parliament this week decided to set up a special committee to investigate National Elections Watch (NEW), a large coalition of civil society organisations and the country’s leading election observer body. The motion was introduced by two ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) members, Mustapha Sellu and Ambrose Lebby, and […]
This isn’t about Melvin; it’s about power, press freedom and democracy
In January 2025, the Speaker of Parliament, the Honourable Segepoh Thomas, banned journalist Melvin Mansaray from the Parliament precincts. The ban was immediate and indefinite. One year on, Mansaray, a parliamentary reporter and an outspoken critic of public institutions and officials, has not set foot on parliamentary grounds. What really happened? Mansaray was accused of […]