Vickie Remoe Institute of Digital Communications

Press Release: Six female elections officers unlawfully detained in Sierra Leone says Advocaid

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Now that the elections results have been released and there are no more excuses we are asking for due process and the release of 6 women unconstitutionally detained for 7 days. See Release from Advocaid below.

PRESS RELEASE:
UNCONSTITUTIONAL DETENTION OF ALLEGED ELECTORAL MALPRACTICE SUSPECTS BY SIERRA LEONE POLICE
Freetown, Sierra Leone
22nd November 2011
We, the following civil society organisations, AdvocAid, Amnesty International, Centre for Accountability & Rule of Law (CARL), L.A.W.Y.E.RS (Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights & Social justice), and Prison Watch, strongly condemn the action of the Sierra Leone Police in detaining alleged election malpractice suspects beyond the 72 hours constitutional time limit prescribed in section 17(3) of the 1991 Constitution.
In particular, we would like to highlight the plight of 6 female suspects currently detained at the Criminal Investigation Department from about 1700 hours on Saturday 17th November 2012. Five of the female suspects were employed by NEC in various roles during the conduct of the elections. Of serious concern is the wellbeing of one of the detainees, who is a suckling mother of 17 month old twins. She has been denied access to her children since her arrest, which is a serious breach of the United Nations Minimum Standards on Detention of Female prisoners (known as the Bangkok Rules).
The Constitution provides that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that they must be brought speedily before a competent authority to adjudicate on their guilt or innocence should the Sierra Leone Police believe they have sufficient evidence to charge their matters to court.
We, therefore, call on the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General & Minister of Justice to immediately bring them before a competent court of law or release them on bail.
We are also calling on the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Christiana Thorpe, to speedily announce the results of the elections as all Law Enforcement and Security personnel are declining to comply with the rule of law and constitutional provisions due to the uncertainty being created by the delay in results being announced.
Finally, we are also calling on the international community to take note of these breaches of fundamental human rights during and after the electioneering period.
Signed
AdvocAid, Head Office: 39 Liverpool Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone, advocaid@gmail.com/ +232 33 572 526 / www.advocaidsl.com
Amnesty International, Freetown
Centre for Accountability & Rule of Law (CARL), 7 Percival Street,(3rd Floor), Freetown
L.A.W.Y.E.RS (Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality Rights & Social justice), Head Office: 11 Percival Street, Freetown. Tel: 076 820291
Prison Watch, Mends Street, Freetown

3 comments

  1. Hassan Bangura 29 November, 2012 at 18:17 Reply

    I was at the Criminal Investigations Department on the day the presidential results were announced and saw some female detainess, whom I cannot confirm were the ones supected of elections malpractices, apperently in a stress mood. The police seem to view suspects as if they are convicts already, and the gross human rights I saw there is only right to raise alarm. In one instance, a young man whose sisters brought food for was denied the meal. The police men said election results were about to be announced so they could not allow the ladies into the premises. I also have a voice clip of police brutality that same day. A police man assulted my friend and I, pushing both of us out of the premise with all of his physical might while he rained abusive words on us. Its high time we stood up against such blatant human rights abuses. I have the recording and will use it due cause.

  2. Paul Artur Williams 2 December, 2012 at 14:43 Reply

    Congratulation Dr. Christiana Thorpe for defrauding the entire electoral process for your own self interests. You have got your pay (Good post) for openly backing Ernest Koroma again for 2nd term.

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