UN hails Sierra Leone’s human rights record

The UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group on Wednesday 27^th January, 2016 hailed Sierra Leone’s human rights record after reviewing it in this year’s session in Geneva, Switzerland.

It could be recalled that Sierra Leone’s last UPR review took place on 5^th May, 2011.

For the review of Sierra Leone in this year’s session in Geneva, three country representatives served as Rapporteurs and they were Kyrgyzstan, Mexico and Togo respectively.

The delegation of Sierra Leone was led by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, who presented the country’s human rights record to the UPR Working Group which reviewed the record.

Reports in Geneva state that following Mr. Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara’s presentation of the country’s human rights record, prominent participants including diplomats, politicians and human rights activists warmly embraced him for the progress Sierra Leone has made since her first review in 2011.

The review of Sierra Leone’s human rights record was based on the national report, information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, information provided by other stakeholders including the Sierra Leone Human Rights Commission and civil society groups.

Reports state that most participants expressed great surprise at the impressive human rights record of Sierra Leone under the regime of President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma as a post-war country.

Amongst other things, the President was highly praised for the rapid human rights developments in his country including the abolition of death sentence and life imprisonment.

The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all the 193 UN Member States.

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