Calls for release of Sierra Leonean singer jailed in âcrackdown on free speechâ
Lawyers, politicians and activists have called for the release of one of Sierra Leoneâs best-known celebrities, who they said was unjustly imprisoned as part of
Lawyers, politicians and activists have called for the release of one of Sierra Leoneâs best-known celebrities, who they said was unjustly imprisoned as part of a government crackdown on free speech and political dissent. Zainab Sheriff, a singer and reality-TV show contestant who became a political opposition figure, was sentenced in April to four years and two monthsâ imprisonment for incitement and using threatening language. Sheriffâs charges stem from a speech she made in January, a video recording of which was played at the trial. According to prosecutors, Sheriff made statements during a rally saying that anyone who rigged an election had stolen the peopleâs vote, committed treason and they and their families should be killed. View image in fullscreen Zainab Sheriff was known for singing and reality TV before she went into politics During the last election in Sierra Leone in 2023, organisations including the Carter Center, a US election monitoring group, expressed concern about the transparency of the tabulation process. âA lot of us feel this isnât about Sheriffâs words,â said Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of the capital, Freetown, and a member of the All Peopleâs Congress opposition party.
âThis is about Sheriff being used as a very, very visible, high-profile example of what you must not do in this society now. You must not speak your mind or you can be charged and end up in jail. âThis is about ensuring that people are scared,â she said. âI am disappointed [in the sentence]. And thatâs an understatement. The bottom line is, weâve heard far worse.â Arrested on 20 February, Sheriff pleaded not guilty. She was repeatedly denied bail and was sentenced on 14 April. She is being held in a maximum-security prison in Freetown. Willietta Hughes, legal manager for AdvocAid, a civil society organisation working with girls and women in Sierra Leone, supported Sheriffâs case. She said the court proceedings were at times reminiscent of a show trial and called the sentence âridiculousâ. No evidence was presented that Sheriffâs comments had provoked any public reaction, she said. View image in fullscreen Zainab Sheriff arriving at court. The model and musician was repeatedly denied bail and is being held in a maximum-security prison in Freetown. Photograph: Courtesy of Sierraloaded âWe have seen people who have said far worse than what she said and they were either not prosecuted or were given a very low term,â Hughes said.
âI see [Sheriffâs case] as sending a message to people that you canât get up one day and say x, y and z, which is a personâs legal right.â She added: âItâs a laughing issue, but weâve seen the trend where the law is being utilised as a weapon against people who speak up.â Sheriffâs sentence comes a year after Hawa Hunt, a social media influencer, was arrested on live television for posts she made about Sierra Leoneâs president, Julius Maada Bio, and the first lady, Fatima Bio, in May 2023. She was detained for two months. In March 2023, five UN experts wrote to President Bio about the detention and treatment of more than 40 people, predominately women, by the authorities on 4 July 2022 for protesting about increased living costs and the governmentâs handling of the economy. View image in fullscreen Sierra Leoneâs president, Julius Maada Bio, pictured with his wife, Fatima, speaks to journalists after voting in 2023âs national elections Photograph: Cooper Inveen/Reuters Hughes said the case had chilling implications. âAs women, we are placed in a certain category where you can only say certain things,â she said.
