AYV Media Empire has issued a statement admitting that its initial translation of President Julius Maada Bio’s Mende remarks — in which he appeared to say that any supporter of the opposition APC in Bonthe District “shall die early in the morning” — did not convey the full content and context of the President’s comments.

The statement, released on April 7, 2026, follows the deletion of a controversial video that had sparked widespread condemnation from opposition figures, civil society groups, and constitutional lawyers. The video had been widely shared on social media before its removal.

In the statement, AYV Management said it had taken note of public concerns regarding “a translated excerpt from remarks delivered by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio during the opening of the SLPP Bonthe District Office.”

The media house acknowledged that its digital team’s translation from Mende to English “raised a public concern on the interpretation of the President’s remarks.”

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“Upon further editorial review, we acknowledge that this translation did not convey the full content and context of the President’s remarks,” the statement read. “In this instance, the said content has been flagged for further editorial review.”

AYV added that translation — “particularly from local languages into English — requires careful attention to context, idiom, and cultural meaning.”

“We regret any misunderstanding or concern it may have caused,” the statement concluded.

Notably, AYV did not provide an alternative, corrected translation of what the President actually said in Mende. The media house also did not state whether the original video had been permanently deleted or would be re-released with an accurate translation.

The statement reaffirmed AYV’s commitment to “responsible journalism, including accuracy, fairness, and context in our reporting.”

State House Communications Director Myk Berewa had previously defended the President’s remarks as “metaphorical in Mende,” implying that anyone “born, raised, and who sticks with the APC in Bonthe is somehow cursed.” That explanation was rejected by critics who argued that wishing death or a curse upon political opponents violates democratic norms.