Articles - Sierra Leone
22 June 2011
Sierra Leone
Suspects arrested in rare journalist murder
A police officer and two others have been arrested as suspects in the stabbing death of journalist Ibrahim Foday of "The Exclusive" newspaper near Freetown, Sierra Leone, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
19 August 2009
Sierra Leone
New broadcasting act keeps public media under state control
Parliament passed a bill earlier this month that turns the state-run Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) into a public service broadcaster, but the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) says the President will still have undue powers.
29 August 2008
Sierra Leone
GOBIERNOS SE VUELVEN CONTRA LOS MEDIOS; UN NIGERIANO MUERTO
29 August 2008
Sierra Leone
LES GOUVERNEMENTS SE RETOURNENT CONTRE LES MÉDIAS; UN NIGÉRIAN EST ASSASSINÉ
28 August 2008
Sierra Leone
GOVERNMENTS TURN AGAINST MEDIA, NIGERIAN KILLED
NIGERIA: Police Involvement Suspected in Killing of Journalist
10 August 2005
Sierra Leone
DES VOIX SE FONT ENTENDRE POUR EXIGER UNE ENQUÊTE À LA SUITE DU DÉCÈS D'UN RÉDACTEUR
10 August 2005
Sierra Leone
MUERTE DE EDITOR INICIA EXIGENCIAS DE INVESTIGACIÓN
5 August 2005
Sierra Leone
EDITOR'S DEATH SPARKS CALLS FOR PROBE
International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI) are calling on Sierra Leonean authorities to investigate the death of Harry Yansaneh, a journalist who died last week of kidney
6 June 2005
Sierra Leone
USAN LEY "DRACONIANA" PARA SILENCIAR A CRÍTICOS
6 June 2005
Sierra Leone
UNE LOI « DRACONIENNE » POUR MUSELER LES CRITIQUES
1 June 2005
Sierra Leone
"DRACONIAN" LAW USED TO MUZZLE CRITICS
In Sierra Leone, where journalists can be jailed for libeling public officials, the Public Order Act has become a convenient tool for silencing critics. Just ask Paul Kamara, Sydney Pratt and Dennis Jones. All three journalists have been imprisoned on charges of "seditious libel" after writing articles about alleged government corruption.
22 October 2004
Sierra Leone
AGISSEZ ! SIERRA LEONE : UN RÉDACTEUR EN CHEF EST CONDAMNÉ À QUATRE ANS DE PRISON
22 October 2004
Sierra Leone
¡ACTÚE! SIERRA LEONA: EDITOR SENTENCIADO A CUATRO AÑOS DE CÁRCEL
20 August 2002
Sierra Leone
LE CPJ ÉVALUE LA SITUATION DES MÉDIAS
20 August 2002
Sierra Leone
ARTICLE 19 EVALÚA ESTADO DE LOS MEDIOS
20 August 2002
Sierra Leone
CPJ ASSESSES STATE OF THE MEDIA
For a country only recently emerging from years of brutal civil war, Sierra Leone's media have come a long way? and still have a long way to go, according to a special report released last week by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The organisation visited the country in May 2002 to assess the state of relations between government and the media, and how the press covered the recent elections.
2 October 2001
Sierra Leone
DES MÉDIAS; SEPT JOURNALISTES FIGURENT SUR UNE LISTE DE PERSONNALITÉS À ABATTRE
2 October 2001
Sierra Leone
ACERCA DE PROYECTO DE RECONSTRUCCIÓN DE MEDIOS; SIETE PERIODISTAS EN LISTA
2 October 2001
Sierra Leone
CJFE REPORTS ON MEDIA REBUILDING PROJECT; SEVEN JOURNALISTS ON HIT LIST
"The pay is low, the hours are long, but they keep at it. They have little advertising. They write about huge national stories. They criticize government. They struggle."
30 May 2000
Sierra Leone
DANS UNE EMBUSCADE TENDUE PAR DES REBELLES DU RUF
30 May 2000
Sierra Leone
DOS PERIODISTAS MUERTOS EN EMBOSCADA DE RUF
30 May 2000
Sierra Leone
TWO JOURNALISTS KILLED IN RUF AMBUSH
On 24 May, renowned war-zone journalists Miguel Gil Moreno de Mora of Spain and Kurt Schork of the United States were killed while traveling in vehicles near Rogberi Junction, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters sans frontières (RSF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). Moreno de Mora was a Spanish cameraman working for Associated Press Television News (APTN) and Schork was an American journalist working for Reuters. The journalists were ambushed by rebels from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) while traveling with soldiers of the Sierra Leone Army (SLA) and two other journalists. Four soldiers were also killed and the other two journalists were injured.
31 August 1999
Sierra Leone
PROYECTO DE LEY DE MEDIOS Y ATAQUES CONTRA PERIODISTAS CAUSAN INQUIETUD
31 August 1999
Sierra Leone
CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES SUSCITENT L?INQUIÉTUDE
31 August 1999
Sierra Leone
MEDIA BILL AND ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS CAUSING CONCERN
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and ARTICLE 19 are alarmed by a contentious new media bill which is being tabled in Sierra Leone. ARTICLE 19 reports that the "Independent Media Commission Bill No. 99 of 1999" imposes statutory regulation on the print media which will create serious freedom of expression issues, outweighing any potential benefits. A media council has been proposed which will be able to suspend or revoke media licenses as well as hand out large fines. The legislation suggests that a three member committee will be appointed by the president and will review complaints against journalists. The bill would also grant new powers to the Ministry of Information, allowing it the authority to approve or revoke registration of newspapers for publication. According to a report received by CJFE from the International League for Human Rights in New York, "the media bill does not proscribe existing restrictive laws such as the 1964 criminal libel law."
11 May 1999
Sierra Leone
PERIODISTA MUERE EN PRISIÓN
11 May 1999
Sierra Leone
UN JOURNALISTE MEURT EN PRISON
11 May 1999
Sierra Leone
JOURNALIST DIES IN PRISON
On 30 April, journalist Conrad Roy, the news editor of "Expo Times", died while incarcerated in Sierra Leone, report Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Roy died in hospital from tuberculosis contracted in prison, after he was transferred to the hospital during the week of 26 April. In February 1998, the West African Peacekeeping Force (ECOMOG) detained Roy in Freetown, and he was only charged in December 1998 with "treason and aiding and abetting the enemy [and] conspiring to overthrow a legally constituted government," says CPJ. During his detention, Roy was denied the opportunity to appear before the Investigation Committee set up to decide who should be charged with treason for activities occurring during the rule by the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). On 6 January 1999, upon entering Freetown, RUF rebel forces released Roy along with other prisoners, but CPJ says that four days later Roy returned to prison in compliance with the government's order for prisoners to turn themselves in.
27 April 1999
Sierra Leone
NUEVE PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS EN ENERO, DICE INFORME DE RSF
27 April 1999
Sierra Leone
UN RAPPORT DE RSF FAIT ÉTAT DE NEUF JOURNALISTES TUÉS EN JANVIER
27 April 1999
Sierra Leone
NINE JOURNALISTS KILLED IN JANUARY, SAYS RSF REPORT
Nine journalists were killed in January during fighting in Sierra Leone, says Reporters sans frontières (RSF) in an April report entitled "Black January for the press." RSF says many journalists in the country suffered attacks, kidnapping, detention and threats during the unrest in January. On 6 January, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) entered Freetown and went on a rampage for a couple of weeks, killing thousands of people. The rebels, who oppose the elected president, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, were finally driven out by the West African peacekeeping force (ECOMOG).
16 February 1999
Sierra Leone
MAS PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS Y REPORTADOS DESAPARECIDOS
16 February 1999
Sierra Leone
D?AUTRES JOURNALISTES SONT ASSASSINÉS ET PORTÉS DISPARUS
16 February 1999
Sierra Leone
MORE JOURNALISTS MURDERED AND REPORTED MISSING
The seemingly never ending toll of journalists who have been murdered, or who are missing and feared dead, has increased again in Sierra Leone, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). (For more information, see IFEX "Communiques" #8-4, #8-3, and #8-1.) While most of the journalists are presumed to have been murdered by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, CPJ reports that Abdullai Jumah Jalloh, news editor of the independent newspaper "African Champion", was murdered by a soldier of the West African Peacekeeping Forces (ECOMOG) in Freetown on 3 February. Jalloh was apparently mistaken for a RUF rebel and executed point blank. CPJ has discovered that sometime between 9 and 15 January, Munir Turay, a freelance broadcast and print journalist, died, reportedly after being shot in the back. According to IFEX's partner in Nigeria, who must remain anonymous for safety concerns, Nigerian journalist James Ogogo, previously declared missing and feared dead, has indeed been killed in Sierra Leone. ">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?category=1%20Regional%20News&volume=8&issue_no=4&lng=english#329">#8-4, #8-3, and #8-1.) While most of the journalists are presumed to have been murdered by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, CPJ reports that Abdullai Jumah Jalloh, news editor of the independent newspaper "African Champion", was murdered by a soldier of the West African Peacekeeping Forces (ECOMOG) in Freetown on 3 February. Jalloh was apparently mistaken for a RUF rebel and executed point blank. CPJ has discovered that sometime between 9 and 15 January, Munir Turay, a freelance broadcast and print journalist, died, reportedly after being shot in the back. According to IFEX's partner in Nigeria, who must remain anonymous for safety concerns, Nigerian journalist James Ogogo, previously declared missing and feared dead, has indeed been killed in Sierra Leone.
2 February 1999
Sierra Leone
MÁS PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS; SE TEME POR VIDA DE OTROS
2 February 1999
Sierra Leone
ENCORE DES JOURNALISTES ASSASSINÉS OU PRÉSUMÉS MORTS
2 February 1999
Sierra Leone
MORE JOURNALISTS MURDERED, FEARED DEAD
At least one other journalist has been murdered and at least four others are missing and presumed dead during recent turmoil in Sierra Leone, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). In addition to those previously reported murdered (see IFEX "Communique" #8-3), Paul Mansaray, deputy editor of the newspaper "Standard Times" was killed on 9 January by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, report CPJ and RSF. Mansaray was murdered in his home in Freetown along with his wife, two young children and a nephew, when rebels set their house on fire and sprayed it with gunfire. According to CPJ, "A fellow journalist, who alerted Mansaray when he saw RUF rebels approaching, sought refuge in a neighbor's house and overheard the rebels threatening Mansaray about his journalistic work."">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?category=0X&volume=8&issue_no=3%26amp;lng=english#307">IFEX "Communique" #8-3), Paul Mansaray, deputy editor of the newspaper "Standard Times" was killed on 9 January by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, report CPJ and RSF. Mansaray was murdered in his home in Freetown along with his wife, two young children and a nephew, when rebels set their house on fire and sprayed it with gunfire. According to CPJ, "A fellow journalist, who alerted Mansaray when he saw RUF rebels approaching, sought refuge in a neighbor's house and overheard the rebels threatening Mansaray about his journalistic work."
12 January 1999
Sierra Leone
PERIODISTA ASESINADO; OTROS DOS HERIDOS
12 January 1999
Sierra Leone
UN JOURNALISTE EST TUÉ, DEUX AUTRES SONT BLESSÉS
12 January 1999
Sierra Leone
JOURNALIST KILLED; TWO OTHERS INJURED
A journalist was killed and two others were injured in Sierra Leone on 10 January, report the
RSS