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The Government of Sierra Leone has assured citizens of planned reforms to the Cybersecurity and Crimes Act following concerns over its application and a decline in the country’s global press freedom ranking.
Sierra Leone ranked 79th out of 180 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index. The drop has drawn attention from media professionals and rights advocates, despite the repeal of Part Five of the 1965 Public Order Act in 2020, which was previously welcomed as a step toward free expression.
Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah addressed the decline during the Multi-Stakeholder Validation of the SLBC Review Reports, an event focused on transforming the state-owned broadcaster into an independent and inclusive public service media institution.
“We accept that this past year has seen some developments that are inconsistent with where we want to head, and we accept that it is a signal that important work needs to be done for us to change,” Bah said.
Bah spoke directly to concerns raised by journalists regarding the Cybersecurity and Crimes Act. Some journalists have said the law has been used to intimidate rather than protect.
“Where we fell short is with some people, including the law enforcers who utilise the Cyber Law particularly, not to imprison, but as the basis to invite journalists all the time to the police and hold them for five to six hours to make statements. We make sure that there is not a single journalist in this country who has spent time in jail for doing his work, but that does not mean the fact that they invite them is something we agree with,” he stated.
He added: “It also doesn’t mean that all journalists are above the law, as there are some that actually commit crimes and others who are actually in the business of publishing something and asking for money.”
The minister said the government is working on reforms to the legislation.
“The AG and I want to work with the police and develop a simple and transparent regime. We want to bring the law again for review because we want to separate cybersecurity from cybercrime, have an online safety law, and we want to make sure that there is an express provision that reserves protection for public interest stories,” Bah said.
Bah expressed optimism that Sierra Leone’s press freedom ranking would improve as reforms are implemented.
“What I am here to say is, the commitment of President Bio to press freedom is sacrosanct. My commitment, the AG’s, and the rest of the government’s commitment is to work with the MRCG and the media as partners to protect a free society, because the democracy we want is desperately dependent on the freedom of this society and our ability to express our opinions freely.”
The SLBC Review Reports validation brought together stakeholders to discuss restructuring the state broadcaster. No timeline was given for when the proposed legal amendments would be tabled in Parliament.
