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“Impunity unlawful killings by government agents and unlawful arrests were documented”, US State Department.
The US state department has lashed at Sierra Leone for several human rights abuses and violations in its 2020 human right country report. The report highlight several human right lapses committed by countries and their governments across the world in 2020.
On Sierra Leone, the state department highlighted series of human right concerns including unlawful and arbitrary killings by government agents, harsh prison conditions, serious act of corruption, unlawful arrests and detention and oppression against opposition supporters. For example; the riot break out in April 29 at the pademba road correctional center in Freetown which lead to 31 fatalities including a correction officer and 30 inmate and 32 correction officer, 21 inmate sustained with injuries from the live amination used by security officials.
Also in July, the report added that security forces allegedly killed individuals in Makeni who were protesting against the government’s relocation of a power generator and transformers from Makeni to Port Loko district to support the airport’s operations, using tear gas and live aminations in response to stop the protest.
Prison Conditions; the country’s 21 prisons designed to hold 2,375 inmates, held 3,808 as of August 2020. the most overcrowded was the male correctional center, designed to hold 324 inmates, which instead held 1,407 individuals as at that time. these lead to spread of sicknesses and death. according to the SLCS report, 53 prisoners in prison and detention facilities died from malaria, respiratory infections, skin infections, hypertension, kidney diseases, sickle cell disease and typhoid fever.
Arbitrary arrest and detention; the government allows the SLP to hold suspects in police detention without charge or explanation for 3 days for suspected misdemeanors and 10 days for suspected felonies. Campaign for Human Rights and Development International reported cases of illegal detention at several police stations and the Freetown male correctional center. Former Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s affairs, Sylvia Blyden was arrested and detained beyond the 72 hours legal limit provided by law for alleged libel offences involving social media posts critical of the government. she was bailed and rearrested for allegedly violating bail conditions.
Violence and Harassment; journalists were harassed and beaten up by Sierra Leone Armed Forces personnel in April and were charged with riotous conduct by the authorities. police uses excessive force when dealing with demonstrators and uses public order law to deny requests for protests and demonstrations.
Impunity and Minimum Wage; Impunity remained a significant problem in the security forces, notably in the sierra Leone police . observers noted that police lacked training on crowd control and on human right topic. whiles there are serious issues of the national minimum wage. there is no statutory definition of overtime wages to be paid if an employees work hours exceed.
It is rather hopeless and unrealistic to write such information on social media. When will the hopeless and useless apc thugs stop this their evil habits. I believe we did not sell our country to their useless and hopeless party. With these your evil plans against the the country ever make you come back to power? I know it’s a fake news but it is only hopeless and unpatriotic elements of the apc thugs that can do such a thing. I want to promise you thugs that no matter what you do, Sierra Leone is going to prosper. Since you have decided to go down we are going up.
The points which the presenter of the news has written have no doubt in us,who witnessed all the evil deeds the ruling SLPP made,to deprive us from our human rights.Rights which we oughto enjoy fully in our democrate country.since they took power,the rights of an individual has been deprived to express the freedom of criticism and the freedom of enjoying the privilege on his own country.when he voices out what he is paining him against the state,the SLPP government will instruct a command of arrest without legally stating in the constitution.The killing in Pedemba prison or any else where killing has been taken, the SLPP government has not done a serious investigation to find the victims that did the act.A citizen will be killed by the force for no reason,and no further investigation will put forward.This is why corruption and other Mal administration is common in most of government institutions in the country.An instance is shown in the case of Inspector General of police,who used false PHD to attain his position.this issue was investigated and proved to be true,but the SLPP government did not make any effort to investigate other workers with fake degrees in different institutions.