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Alicia Hunt is desperately worried about her mother, Hawa Hunt, a dual Canadian-Sierra Leonean fitness and wellbeing influencer, who has been imprisoned in Sierra Leone for over a month.
The 42-year-old was arrested live on the reality TV show “House of Stars” on December 22nd, stemming from comments she made on social media in May 2023 criticizing President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio.
Hawa Hunt, known for her online presence with over 100,000 followers, now faces charges of “transmitting insulting messages via a computer system” under the Sierra Leone’s Cybersecurity and Crime Act 2021. Prosecutors allege her video incited public disorder and defamed the president and his wife.
While Hawa Hunt appeared in a video on December 28th apologizing and claiming good treatment, her daughter Alicia believes the confession was coerced. Speaking from Calgary, Alicia described limited and distressing contact with her mother, allowed only in the presence of prison guards.
“My mother told me about horrific conditions,” Alicia told The Guardian. “She described bedbug and mosquito infestations, and minimal, barely edible food – just a piece of buttered bread in the morning and a small portion of rice with fish in the evening. She said everyone gets sick from the food; they’d rather starve.”
Alicia’s concerns extend beyond the appalling conditions. “I whispered to her during one call, ‘Are you being abused?’ She said, ‘Oh yeah, we are regularly hit in here, but that’s just Africa, that’s how they do things.’ There is absolutely no excuse for anyone laying a hand on my mother or any other prisoner.”
Alicia believes the arrest is politically motivated, highlighting that her mother and the First Lady were once schoolmates and had interacted online. “I think this was planned,” she stated. “Once they knew she was going to be on ‘House of Stars,’ they saw it as an opportunity to arrest her live on national television, making an example of her to silence others critical of the government.”
Human rights organization, Amnesty International has raised concerns about the law used to prosecute Hawa Hunt, citing previous cases of potential violations of freedom of expression under the Cybersecurity and Crime Act. Alimatu Dimonekene, a women and girls’ rights advocate, expressed worry about the government’s use of the law to suppress dissent, warning of its chilling effect on free speech.
Despite these growing concerns, Mohamed Bobson Senu, deputy head of media for the Sierra Leone police, declined to comment, stating the matter is currently before the court.
Free speech doesn’t permit vulgar insinuations against elders in a decent religious State like Sierra Leone. Let’s regards the rights and liberties of others,ours could be restored to us ,too.
I think followers should be condemning the act instead of resist the course of justice,and ask the family of the president for mercy. It’s a lesson learned by Hawa to deter other would be perpetrators of Cyber bullying
Instead of her pleading on behalf of her mother she is busy accusing politics. Am sure she saw the video her mother sent on social media abusing the first family.