By Allieu Sahid Tunkara
Rights activists have called on the Sierra Leone government to investigate and prosecute a high profile rape case involving a Paramount Chief in the southern Bonthe district.
The victim, a 17-year old girl in Subu Village in the Gbap Nongobabulum Chiefdom, alleged that she was sexually penetrated by Paramount Chief Jonathan Tucker. The alleged incident, which occurred earlier this year, initially generated huge public attention, coming just after the government had declared a national emergency on rape. Of particular concern was sexual penetration of minors, for which a presidential pronouncement ordered life sentence for offenders.
For some campaigners, this case serves as a litmus test for the government.
However, while the police say they working on the matter and promising to reach a conclusion soon, rights campaigners say the speed is not fast enough. And the Human Rights Defenders Network (HRDN), a coalition of civil society groups, blamed this apparent inaction on political interference. It particularly accuses the Resident Minister Southern Region of frustrating police investigations.
HRDN in a statement said the Minister, Mohamed Alie, had made several attempts to settle the alleged rape matter at the community level, “suggesting complete disregard and calculated attempt to undermine the ambition” of the President’s fight against rape and sexual violence.
The Minister was also accused by the group of obstructing the police in carrying out lawful orders and directly attacking police officers who were investigating the matter.
HRND cited several instances in which it alleged that politicians had attempted to prevent police officers from investigating the issue, including the alleged beating and molestation of police officers while performing their duties by alleged perpetrators due to political affiliation. It also accused unnamed senior Bo District officials of the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party of supporting the actions of the Resident Minister.
Mr Alie couldn’t be reached for comment after several efforts via telephone calls.
PC Tucker, in response to a request from Politico, denied the allegations of rape against him. He denied ever knowing the victim.
“I never knew her or heard of her name until she made the allegation. I never raped her,” the chief said in a telephone interview.
He added that he had been cooperating with the police.
The chief went on to say that he had sued the accused for accusing him falsely.
Among other demands, the campaigners have called on the government to provide protection for the alleged survivor by placing her into a specialised child protection organisation for psychosocial counseling services. They also called for the Resident Minister and the Paramount Chief to recuse themselves from office until the matter was being investigated and prosecuted.
HRND further urged parliament to perform its role in providing oversight on the executive and all other stakeholders to ensure justice in this and all such matters. It also called on the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone to investigate and report on the alleged attack on Police officers while investigating this issue.
HRDN-SL said the government must act in respect of local and international commitments, including the presidential emergency declaration on sexual violence, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the AU Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, all of which had informed the promulgation of the Child Rights Act of 2007.
HRDN-SL Chairman, Solomon Sogbandi, who is also the Executive Director of Amnesty International Sierra Leone, told Politico that they remained focused on the investigation of this matter as the coalition plays an advocacy role for the relevant authorities to take the necessary actions.
“We stand by the press release we issued to several stakeholders,” Sogbandi emphasized.
The Head of Family Support Unit, Fatmata Daboh, also told Politico that investigations were still in progress, noting that she had written letters to the relevant sectors in Bo to expedite the investigations. She however warned that there were procedures for investigating a dignitary such as a Paramount Chief which must be observed.
(c) 2019 Politico Online
