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NAG Concerned Over the Arrest
of Journalist
The
arrest on Friday of the prominent editor of Peep Magazine,
Olu Gordon, is a cause for great concern considering
the present state of affairs in Sierra Leone where corruption
runs rampant throughout the country. Peep’s article
entitled “Borbor Belleh Okere” references
the recent arrest on corruption charges of the Minister
of Marine Resources, Okere Adams, and was deemed to
be “seditious libel.” Mr. Gordon was detained
over the weekend until his charges were dropped on Monday
14th February and he was released. Two other journalists
from the Concord Times newspaper and The Exclusive publication
were to receive reprimands for publishing similar articles.
The
government’s attempt to stifle the constitutionally
guaranteed freedom of speech is no doubt illegal, and
therefore the National Accountability Group demands
that the perpetrators of this unlawful detention be
brought to justice. The continued failure of certain
people in government to abide by standard protocol in
the legal system effectively derails the anti-corruption
measures that it supposedly endorses.
Additionally,
the intimidation of journalists for reporting on alleged
corruption cases runs contrary to the recommendations
laid out in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, a
comprehensive publication designed by the Anti-Corruption
Commission’s Prevention Department that was launched
today, which outlines the necessary steps the government
must take to reduce opportunities for corruption in
the public sector. It’s with sad irony that such
a stark contradiction rest in the public eye as the
government endorses the Strategy while simultaneously
contravening its recommendations by allowing the persistent
intimidation and persecution of journalists.
The
dire implications of this arrest portend a bleak future
for the country, for if the free flow of information
is obstructed, there is no way we can effectively combat
the corruption that has for decades rendered the state
ineffectual in providing even the most basic services
for the people of Sierra Leone.
It
is of equal importance that the government take international
conventions on corruption seriously by ratifying and
abiding by the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good
Governance as well as the African Union and United Nations
Conventions on Corruption.
In
conclusion, the National Accountability Group insists
that the government must protect the freedom of all
its citizens including journalists. For if there is
no effective check on the persistent misuse of public
resources, the future of the country is indeed bleak.
National Accountability Group
15 February, 2005
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