Calls for release of Sierra Leonean singer jailed in ‘crackdown on free speech’ | Global development
Lawyers, politicians and activists have called for the release of one of Sierra Leone’s best-known celebrities, who they say was wrongfully imprisoned as part of the government’s crackdown on free speech and political dissent.
Zainab Sheriff, a singer and reality TV show contestant who became a political opposition figure, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison in April for sedition and using threatening language.
Sheriff’s accusations stem from a speech he made in January, a video recording of which was played at the hearing. According to prosecutors, Sharif made statements during the rally saying that anyone who rigged the election was stealing the people’s vote, committing treason, and that they and their families should be killed.
In the last elections held in Sierra Leone in 2023, organizations including the Carter Center, a US election monitoring group, stated the following: Concerns about the transparency of the tabulation process.
“Many of us think this is not about Sharif’s words,” said Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of the capital Freetown and a member of the All People’s Congress opposition party. “This is about the Sheriff being used as a very, very visible, high-profile example of the things you shouldn’t do in this society right now. You shouldn’t speak your mind or you could get charged and go to jail.”
“This is about making people afraid,” he said. “I’m disappointed [in the sentence]. And that’s an understatement. As a result, we have heard much worse.”
Sharif, who was arrested on February 20, pleaded not guilty. He was repeatedly denied bail and was sentenced to prison on 14 April. He is being held in a maximum security prison in Freetown.
Willietta Hughes, legal director of AdvocAid, a non-governmental organization that works with girls and women in Sierra Leone, supported Sharif’s case. He said court proceedings sometimes resembled a show trial and called the sentence “ridiculous.” He said no evidence was presented that the sheriff’s comments sparked any public reaction.
“We’ve seen people say much worse things than he said, and they either weren’t prosecuted or were given a very short sentence,” Hughes said. “I understand [Sheriff’s case] “It’s like giving people the message that you can’t wake up one day and say x, y, z, which is a person’s legal right.”
He added: “It’s a laughing matter, but we’ve seen a trend where the law is used as a weapon against people who speak out.”
Sharif’s sentence comes a year after social media influencer Hawa Hunt was arrested on live television in May 2023 for posts she made about Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio and first lady Fatima Bio. He was detained for two months.
Five UN experts in March 2023 Wrote a letter to President Bio about the detention and treatment of more than 40 peopleA majority of them are women, who were arrested by authorities on July 4, 2022, for protesting the rising cost of living and the government’s handling of the economy.
Hughes said the case had chilling implications. “As women, we are put into a certain category where you can only say certain things,” she said. “As soon as you say things that seem a bit harsh, you are considered to be violating some kind of rule or law and acting against your own gender.”
Inside a new interviewNemata Majeks Walker, a leading women’s rights activist and founder of the 50/50 Group, has spoken out about the situation of women in Sierra Leone, repeatedly saying she is “terrified.”
“It’s sad that women’s voices are being suppressed, but women will continue to speak,” she said. “They will be protected, but they will continue to speak. It will be difficult to tell the truth because you are afraid, but we will continue to express that we have the right to participate in politics, we have the right to hold important positions.”
Aki-Sawyerr added: “The way the law is being used is frightening. That’s why we need to raise our voices. We cannot ignore what I would say is the transformation of our democracy into an authoritarian state.”
