CHRDI Identifies 496 Inmates Allegedly Held Unlawfully in Sierra Leone Prisons
Aaron Parker The Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) has written to the Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, demanding a full list of inmates held at the Freetown Male and Female Correctional Centres under circumstances it says may be unlawful.
In a statement dated Thursday, 29 October 2026, CHRDI said its monitoring exercise conducted on 14 October identified approximately 496 inmates allegedly being held under conditions that violate the law.
According to the organisation, the cases include inmates detained for more than 72 hours without indictment, those held on expired remand warrants, individuals detained without warrants, and prisoners who have spent more than 12 months on remand without being indicted by the High Court.
CHRDI said these circumstances raise concerns under Sections 17 and 23 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, which provide safeguards relating to personal liberty and the protection of the law.
The human rights organisation said it was preparing to file writs of habeas corpus to seek the release of individuals it believes are being unlawfully detained.
Habeas corpus is a legal procedure through which a court can examine the lawfulness of a person’s detention and order appropriate relief where the detention is found to be unlawful.
CHRDI said the Correctional Service has three working days to respond to its request under the Right to Access Information Act, 2013.
The organisation stressed that no person should remain in detention without lawful authority and called for action to address the cases identified during its monitoring exercise.