By Nasratu Kargbo
The latest press review report by Media Reform Coordinating Group(MRCG)has indicated that several attacks such as online death threat, attempted assassination, and assaults amongst others have been made against journalists in Sierra Leone. However, the outcome of the investigations done so far remain unknown to the public.
MRCG in its August review highlighted numerous attacks on journalists amongst them the assault on the Station Manager of Fountain of Peace Radio (FOP) in Moyamba District Alie Tokowa, with no further progress on the said matter.
According to the report, the incident occurred on 28 March 2023 at the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) office in Moyamba, where party supporters reportedly assaulted Tokowa on the instruction of the outgoing District Council Chairman Joseph Gbogba.
“Journalist Alie Tokowa told MRCG that the State had withdrawn the matter from the police. Local Unit Commander of police in Moyamba, Assistant Superintendent, Franklyn Bawoh, told MRCG that the matter was with the State Counsel, Ballah Sesay” a part of the reads reads.
It added that there’s been no progress in the matter relating to a freelance Journalist in Kambia District Gibril Gottor who was verbally threatened by a police officer, as well as an attempted assassination on him.
The report states that “Police maintained that they had not yet got a witness or evidence to substantiate the complaint made by Gibril to aid their investigation of the matter”.
Just like the above attacks,investigations on the attack on BBC Correspondent in Freetown Umaru Fofana is yet to be concluded.
Fofana was attacked by supporters of the All People’s Congress (APC) party during the party’s press conference at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown on 14 June 2023.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Sidi Yayah Tunis, told MRCG that the investigation is still ongoing as they would want to put out a credible outcome of the investigation and then punish those found wanting.
A recent online death threat directed at Radio Democracy’s Reporter and Presenter Musa S. Kamara was also contained in the report.
Kamara received death threats online on the 20th of August 2023 from anonymous persons after he conducted an exclusive interview with the then Ambassador of the United States of America to Sierra Leone David Reimer regarding the ongoing post-election crisis, according to the MRCG report.
Highlighting some of the strides made to ensure the matter is investigated, it was stated that the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Ahmed Sahid Nasralla had advised Kamara to report the matter to the Sierra Leone Police.
It further stated that “The Head of Media and Public Relations, ACP Brima Kamara, told MRCG that Musa had officially reported the matter and the SLP had begun its investigations into the matter”.
Like the above-mentioned incidents, the report maintained that there are many other investigations on attacks against journalists that are yet to be concluded.
The monthly ‘Media Freedom Review’ is a publication by the MRCG produced from the monitoring and reporting on freedom of expression and of the press, internet freedom, digital and online rights, and safety and security of journalists in Sierra Leone.
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