Skip to main content

Sierra Leone: Ebola regulations and other laws must not be used to curtail freedom of expression and assembly

Sierra
Leone should stop using emergency regulations brought in to combat Ebola as a
pretext to restrict freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Amnesty
International said today.
“Now
that Ebola cases are reducing and schools have re-opened, the government should
immediately review the State of Emergency provisions and ensure that only provisions
strictly required to fight the Ebola epidemic remain in effect. Rights to
freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must not be unnecessarily or
disproportionately curtailed, ’’ said Sabrina Mahtani, Amnesty International’s West
Africa researcher.
The
call comes following an increase in arrests of opposition members, bans on
peaceful protests and an unwillingness to tolerate dissent that has heightened
following the removal of former Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana on 18 March.
Even though cases of Ebola have sharply reduced in Sierra Leone, State of
Emergency measures have been increasingly used alongside other laws to stifle
criticism, some of which are thought to be linked to the removal of the Vice President.
On
Sierra Leone’s Independence Day, 27 April, 15 members of the main opposition
party, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and a Senior Officer from the Human
Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, were arrested in Kenema (East)
and are currently on trial. There are concerns about excessive use of force by
the police with several people injured. A march organised by the Sierra Leone
Association of Journalists on Independence Day in Freetown was also banned.
Eight days earlier, 10 people were arrested for protesting outside the US
Embassy, while in March a meeting of the Bar Association was broken up. In
contrast, assemblies and events held by the governing party have been allowed.     Sierra Leone: Ebola regulations and other laws must not be used to curtail freedom of expression and assembly

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REVEALED: Pastor TB Joshua’s Uncanny Influence In Tanzania

 “Our new President, John Magufuli, visited T.B. Joshua in Nigeria long before he even nursed a presidential ambition,” explained Eng. Ngimbwa, chairperson of the Tanzanian Contractors Registration Board. As Tanzania’s industrious Minister of Works, Magufuli visited The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria with his family in 2011, evidenced by a picture which surfaced on social media showing the Tanzanian politician holding hands with Joshua in the cleric’s office.  REVEALED: Pastor TB Joshua’s Uncanny Influence In Tanzania
Post a Comment
Read more

Zambian Elections declared Peaceful, Transparent, Credible, Free and Fair by SADC

The SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to the Presidential By-Elections in the Republic of Zambia has declared the elections to have been peaceful, transparent, credible, free, and fair, thus reflecting the will of the people of Zambia in accordance with the National Laws and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. This is contained in the statement released today by Honourable Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Chairperson of the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, and Head of the SADC Electoral Observer Mission to the Elections in the Republic of Zambia; accompanied by H.E. Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, SADC Executive Secretary; and Members of the SADC Troika. The declaration is based on SEOM observations throughout the electoral process. SEOM observed that prior to the election; the political atmosphere was generally peaceful. However, the SEOM noted that there was int...
Post a Comment
Read more