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A group of Sierra Leoneans called ‘Concerned Sierra Leoneans’, have lamented the unlawful killings, police brutality and corruption under the Bio’s administration.
“Sierra Leone is entering a new phase after democracy had been nurtured from a decade-long war; nonetheless, after the election of President Julius Maada Bio in 2018, seems to have learned nothing. In spite of this, we would painstakingly COMMEND the government of President Bio for the abolition of the DEATH PENALTY as a best practice, signed on October 8, 2021. Several points of concern have been discerned under the leadership of President Bio, reversing the country’s progress in areas of economic challenges, political instability, and unrest, alleged massive corruption, injustice and/or selective justice, arbitrary arrest, unfair convictions, abuse of power and authority, police brutality, arbitrary killings, political intimidation, post-election violence, and unlawful killings in the North and North Western areas.
It is crucial that Sierra Leone is now a polarized society, where the basic democratic condition of safety is amiss. It is now replaced with tribal and political divisions. The state of affairs in Sierra Leone is now likened to a “keg of gunpowder waiting to explode,” should the international community not immediately intervene. Several calls to the international community by Concerned Sierra Leoneans (CSL) seem to be falling on deaf ears. However, we have filed and archived all correspondence and press releases for the sake of posterity. Should anything happen to the peace and stability of Sierra Leone – we will HOLD the international community responsible.
Therefore, we expect the international community to act in a way that would not diminish the trust and responsibility that countries place in you and your institutions. In light of the above, Concerned Sierra Leoneans (CSL) will continue to engage with stakeholders, well-wishers of Sierra Leone, and our moral guarantors about the current and ongoing political unrest that is unfolding in our nation. We are obliged to draw your attention to the recent killings at Mile 91, where two people were reported dead, allegedly, and some injured, and to all the past killings of innocent civilians.
In a way to refresh your memory about the unlawful killings based on the evidence in our possession and in the public domain – Innocent civilians have been killed in the northern headquarters town of Makeni; massacre of unarmed youth protesters, in Tombo, Lunsar, Kailahun, Tonko Limba, Mile 91, Freetown, including defenceless prisoners inside the Pademba Maximum Correctional Centre, to name but a few. Amnesty International Sierra Leone, Human Rights Watch, and Concerned Sierra Leoneans have been calling for a tribunal to properly investigate these unfortunate incidents to punish powerful perpetrators of crimes, punish and reduce the culture of impunity and deter offenders by making reparation by offenders to those affected by their offences, but to no avail.
Even though the epic proportions of all of these egregious human rights violations were not reported in the 2019 Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) report, they are included in the Amnesty International report of 2021. The challenges posed by police highhandedness, including the issues of the unlawful massive killings and executions of citizens exercising their rights inscribed within the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone vis-a-vis the PROTECTION OF FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION in Section 25 and the PROTECTION OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND THE PRESS in Section of 1991, have all been seriously violated with these past four (4) years of President Bio’s rule.
CSL will continue to monitor the state of affairs and will factor in events unfolding in our reports, which would be published in due course. We, therefore, call on the government of Sierra Leone to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution. We urge and reiterated our call to the government to grant bail to Mr Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray and free all detained political prisoners. We further call on citizens to continue to be law-abiding and assist the government in achieving its objectives in all fairness. One love to Sierra Leoneans! Peace, Freedom, and Unity!
Kind regards,
Concerned Sierra Leoneans
1) President Julius Maada Bio
2) Sierra Leone Parliament
3) UNHRC
4) ECOWAS Parliament
5) UK Parliament
6) UK High Commissioner, Sierra Leone
7) US Ambassador, Sierra Leone
8) EU Ambassador, Sierra Leone
9) African Union
10) United Nation
11) Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
12) International Criminal Court (ICC)”
