Joy Precious Baryoh, a prominent lawyer and recent candidate for the treasurer position in the Sierra Leone Bar Association elections, has issued a Public Statement after been granted bail following an overnight detention by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sierra Leone Police.

Baryoh States “Martin Luther King Jr once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

He further reveals “I am Joy Precious Bayoh, a legal practitioner and a devoted, law-abiding Sierra Leonean.

I am a young, resilient woman of faith who believes in the power of justice and truth.

Last Wednesday, a truckload of armed police officers came to my office to arrest me. For what? A tweet on the rule of law and democratic principles.

It has been a challenging week, but the innocent have nothing to fear.

I would like to thank my legal team, senior colleagues at the Bar, and everyone in this profession who stood by me and collectively secured my release.

To the media houses and patriotic Sierra Leoneans who supported me, I am deeply grateful.

As lawyers, it is time we protect the sanctity of our beloved profession and honor the oath we took before God and I pray in everything we do, we always remember that whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Today it is Joy, tomorrow, it will be you.

I am a lawyer and my tools are my mouth and my pen.”

The arrest of Baryoh, a well-known figure in the legal community, ignited widespread concern and debate over issues of freedom of speech and the treatment of legal professionals in Sierra Leone. Baryoh’s detention led to a chorus of calls for her immediate release from both local and international human rights advocates, who argue that her arrest represents an overreach by authorities and a potential infringement on her right to free expression