By: Alimatu Kargbo
In a bold and unprecedented move, Thomas Alie Babadie, Executive Director of the Forum of Sierra Leone Youth Network (FoSLYN), addressed the press, shedding light on what he described as a “gross violation of human rights” by the Sierra Leone Police.
Babadie began his speech by referencing key constitutional and international conventions that safeguard fundamental human rights.
Chapter 3 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone mandates the protection of personal rights, including freedom of speech, assembly, and the right to life.
He also highlighted provisions from the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, particularly the rights to due process, fair trial, and freedom of religion, information, association, movement, and political participation.
According to Babadie, FoSLYN had formally notified the Inspector General of Police about their plan to peacefully assemble and remind the Electoral Commission of its unfulfilled pledge to disclose the full Presidential Election results by constituencies.
He recalled that Mohammed Kenawi Konneh, the Electoral Commissioner, had promised to release the results, a commitment that remains unfulfilled.
However, instead of allowing their peaceful protest, Babadie revealed that the police responded with arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention. He described their experience as a “serious and dehumanizing ordeal”, where they were subjected to criminal investigations, detained for ten days, and denied their fundamental rights.
“We reject, in total, the label of criminals and the attempt to implicate us in committing STATE CRIME,” Babadie declared.
He warned that Sierra Leone is not a Police State, and citizens must not be silenced for exercising their rights.
Adding his voice to the concerns, Mohamed Konneh, a representative of SLAJ (Sierra Leone Association of Journalists), condemned the police’s actions, emphasizing that in any democracy, the right to protest is sacred.
“If the police continue to arbitrarily arrest citizens, Sierra Leone will not progress,” Konneh asserted.
He further criticized the government’s silence on critical national issues such as frequent blackouts, lack of clean water, rising drug abuse, and the arbitrary arrests of journalists.
Konneh urged citizens to express their views within the boundaries of the law while calling on the government to uphold justice, democracy, and accountability.
As tensions rise, all eyes are on the authorities to see whether they will honor their commitments or continue on a path that critics warn could erode Sierra Leone’s hard-earned democracy.
