As Freedom Of Expression Continues To Be Trampled Upon
Internal Affairs Minister Orders The Arrest Of Journalist
One of Sierra Leone’s renowned journalists, Fayia Amara Fayia, was on the morning of Saturday, 29th September, 2018 was arrested and detained by police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) while coming from a television program at the African Young Voices Television (AYV).
His arrest, according to sources, was ordered by the country’s Deputy Internal Affairs Minister, Lahai Lawrence Leema, for reasons unconnected to the journalist’s alleged dissemination of series of defamatory anti-government messages both on social media and the mainstream media spanning over a period of time now.
Lahai Leema
It should be noted that Mr. Fayia has being very critical of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) government for the many atrocities they have committed within this short period in office and has openly condemned them in most of his presentations on radio, television and social media. In one instance, he was on both mainstream and social media condemning the police brutality meted out to innocents citizens at Mile 91 which resulted to the killing of an innocent 29 years old man; an action that puts him in conflict with members of the ruling SLPP especially the Deputy Internal Affairs Minister, who is on record to have openly threatened to discipline the journalist if he does not desist from saying anti-government rants.
Efforts by this medium to get the minister’s comment proved futile as he refused to neither pick our calls nor respond to our message
By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara
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