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Sierra Leone’s Media consultant, entrepreneur, and social media influencer, Vickie Remoe, has spoken on the recent detention of the CEO of Zedzee Multimedia Consult, Zainab Sheriff at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters in Freetown.
She started by explaining about Zainab Sheriff’s emotional video she posted on Facebook before her arrest.
She said she understood Zainab’s frustration but noticed she spread a lot of disinformation and misinformation about President Bio, Former President Koroma, and First Lady Fatima Bio.
She stated that it is important to address the government as a whole when airing grievances but calling individuals out is not acceptable and also accusing them of being killers without proof adding that it is wrong to accuse someone of being a party to something without evidence.
She continued that the police and military are a part of the government and it’s okay to use a general statement when addressing the government.
“If you call out someone by name and accuse them of murder on a public platform, you need proof to substantiate your claims. If you are a witness and you have evidence, then it is okay to call them out”.
” If you are quoting a source like Amnesty International (on lives lost on the August 10 protest, Pa Demba Road Prison riot, Tombo and Makeni incidents) make sure to cite those reports properly to protect your speech as already being in the public domain. No news sources or reports have said that the President has killed anyone or given orders for citizens to be killed. It is dangerous and wrong to spread such rumors (many of which come from deeply divisive political extremists)”.
She further stated that every citizen has the right to free speech and expression, but it is their responsibility to use their platform in a lawful manner that does not harm others.
“As public figures, we should be careful about the language we use on and offline, especially during elections.”
“I hope that Ms. Zainab Sheriff is receiving all her rights and due process in police detention as a citizen of Sierra Leone. Counting on the professionalism of the Sierra Leone Police to put this matter to rest as soon as possible in a lawful manner to not further erode public trust between police, Gen Z, and young Millennials who may not fully understand all the facts”.
