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Hawa Hunt remains behind bars, and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why. While we do not condone vulgar insults, is her continued incarceration truly worth the international scrutiny, bad press, and attention it is bringing upon this government?
Hawa Hunt, a Canadian-Sierra Leonean social media personality, was arrested on live television in December 2024 while filming a reality show in Freetown. Her crime? A resurfaced 2023 video in which she criticized President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Bio. She was charged under Sierra Leone’s 2021 Cybersecurity and Crime Act, a law that Amnesty International and human rights activists argue is being weaponized to suppress free speech.
Since her arrest, Hunt has been held in deplorable conditions, allegedly beaten and severely underfed. Reports from her daughter in Canada paint a grim picture of her health, describing her as gaunt, covered in bedbug bites, and mentally drained. Yet, despite her humbling apology, she has been denied bail.
The question is: why? Is our government so fragile that it cannot withstand insult and criticism? Are our leaders so insecure that they must silence a reality TV contestant to maintain their grip on power? The continued detention of Hawa Hunt does not project strength. It suggests that this government prioritizes ego over governance and retaliation over justice.
Moreover, this case has drawn the attention of international organizations, including Amnesty International, which has called for her release. Media outlets worldwide are covering the story, portraying Sierra Leone as a country that imprisons critics and suppresses dissent. Even Canada has expressed concern, though it has done little to secure the release of its citizen. Is this really the image we want to project?
Criticism of public officials, no matter how harsh, is a fundamental aspect of democracy. If every insult or criticism were met with imprisonment, we would not have a functioning society—we would have a dictatorship in all but name. The government’s response to Hawa Hunt is a stark reminder that, despite progress in repealing the criminal libel law, freedom of expression remains under threat in Sierra Leone.
If the goal was to make an example out of her, it has backfired spectacularly. Instead of instilling fear, it has drawn global condemnation. At this point, the damage is done. The only question that remains is how much longer the government will allow the country to be humiliated over a case that should never have escalated this far.
It is time to let Hawa Hunt go. Release her, grant her a fair trial, or simply drop the charges. The government should ask itself: is keeping her locked up worth the damage to Sierra Leone’s reputation? The longer this government keeps Hawa Hunt in detention, the clearer it becomes that this is not about justice.
Show me one country in the world where they insult the president and the first lady at the same time and the person still living in the country with out arrest
I didn’t know where you live or if you have ever been out of that country, or followed international news, but abusive public figures happens all the time. Someone slapped the President of France recently. Some of you cretin are the problems in our society.
Even the suggestion that people’s personality been trampled upon should be ignored is not only socially unacceptable but immoral in our religious practices . Especially, with our first gentle man and his wife, should be respected for goodness sake. God in the past was furious with nations that disrespectful stood against their leaders, on most cases led to the distraction of such nations.
If the first gentle man and wife could decide to pardon Hawa it’s okay, but the law needs to let people realize that those in leadership are appointed by God and at least deserve respect not lily Hawa Hunt tearing our leader apart to be part of democratic dispensation.
Let’s show respect for our leaders just like our parents to live long as it is embedded in the Bible.
I wonder how the writer will take it if it was his or her parentes that were insulted am sure that he or she will not take it Lightly she was not critising Them she was insulting Them lets Call a spade a spade .
This country uhm… why why