By Tejan Jalloh
Sierra Leone is at a dangerous tipping point. What once appeared to be steady progress toward open governance now feels like a slide into authoritarian control. Recent legislative and enforcement trends under the ruling SLPP government demonstrate a troubling erosion of freedom of speech, right to protest, and civil society protections—all core foundations of a democratic society.
Although the Criminal Libel Law was repealed in 2020—a bold gesture hailed by press freedom advocates—the state has since filled the void with vague and oppressive legislation. Most alarmingly, the new Counter-Terrorism Act includes sweeping provisions that criminalize legitimate journalistic and civic activities: interviewing dissenting voices, reporting protest activity, and even quoting controversial figures may now bring a minimum 25–30-year prison sentence .
These laws are not theoretical—they have been weaponized. A social media influencer, Hawa Hunt, was arrested live on television for criticizing the president and is currently imprisoned under the Cyber Security and Crime Act 2021, with bail repeatedly denied and signs of possible abuse in detention . Similarly, journalist Thomas Josephus Dixon was threatened by the Inspector General of Police after criticizing bail practices, then forced into hiding—his office invaded, documents stolen, and workspace politically blacklisted.
Sierra Leoneans did not take to the streets for political showmanship—they marched in August 2022 amid a cost-of-living crisis, devastating inflation at 28%, and rising public frustration . But instead of dialogue, the state responded with violence. Authorities deployed excessive force, imposed indefinite curfews, and denied permits for dissenting voices—even though protest remains constitutionally protected. Far from upholding law and order, security forces reportedly killed over 20 civilians, with zero accountability or investigation launched to date.
Despite Sierra Leone’s standing as signatory to international human rights treaties, its people face surveillance, arbitrary arrest, and use of statutory laws to silence dissent. These are not isolated incidents—they reflect a concerted political strategy to crush dissent, particularly from the opposition and independent media.

Reporters Without Borders and the Media Foundation for West Africa have warned that the new terror laws could shroud investigative journalism—including covering protests or security abuses—in criminal liability. Journalists and activists now face prison sentences that make dissent risk-heavy, erasing the possibility of fearless reporting .
While the government claims a moral high ground on corruption, its anti-corruption efforts are undermined by selective prosecution and political favoritism. Sierra Leone ranks 114th out of 180 in the Corruption Perceptions Index—and that has consequences. Institutions tasked with accountability, including the judiciary and Police Complaints Board, lack independence and often serve partisan ends instead of the law .
Ethnic biases also persist in appointments and enforcement. Citizens allege systemic discrimination against political minorities or specific ethnic groups in both public sector jobs and justice outcomes.
1. Repeal or amend the Counter-Terrorism and Cyber Laws to protect journalistic practice and civil activism, including clear definitions and exemptions for freedom of expression.
2. Investigate and prosecute security abuses from August 2022 protests—without selective immunity.
3. Liberate the courts and media regulators. Commission appointments and police oversight must operate independently from executive politics.
4. End political persecution of dissenters—stop using state power to coerce, arrest, or disappear citizens who oppose.
Sierra Leone is at a crossroads. This is more than political posturing—this is a war on democracy, fought through silence, fear, and draconian laws.
History judges not governments, but the systems they build. If freedom of speech is no longer safe in Sierra Leone, then the citizens have no retreat. It’s time for those who wield power to remember that their legitimacy springs from consent, not coercion. And for civil society, media, and opposition voices—it’s time to resist, record, and reclaim the democratic spirit that this government seems bent on extinguishing.