Author : Freedom House
Site of publication : Freedom House
Type of publication : Article
Date of publication : 8 May 2023
Overview
Sierra Leone has held regular multiparty elections since the end of its civil war in 2002. However, opposition parties have faced police violence and restrictions on assembly. Civic groups are constrained by onerous regulations and government corruption remains pervasive. Other long-standing concerns include gender-based violence (GBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM).
Key Developments in 2020
Former president Ernest Bai Koroma was questioned by investigators in November after an inquiry documented widespread corruption during his tenure. Koroma and as many as 130 other individuals were barred from leaving the country after a report containing the Commissions of Inquiry’s (COI) findings was published in September.
While Sierra Leoneans faced a COVID-19-related ban on large public assemblies for much of the year, notable protests, including June demonstrations prompted by the rape and murder of a child, took place. The authorities reported 2,560 cases and 76 deaths to the World Health Organization (WHO) at year’s end.
Political Rights
- Electoral Process
Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections? The president is elected by popular vote for up to two five-year terms. In the March 2018 presidential election, Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) defeated Samura Kamara of the incumbent All People’s Congress (APC) and succeeded term-limited predecessor Ernest Bai Koroma. Bio won nearly 52 percent of the vote in the second round. Allegations of violence and voter intimidation marred the campaign period. Nevertheless, international observers determined that the election was credible, praising the National Election Commission (NEC) for effectively fulfilling its duties despite budget constraints, logistical challenges, and pressure from the government, which disbursed election funds late and occasionally threatened to withhold resources.
Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? The electoral laws and framework are generally deemed to be fair. The NEC, which administers elections, works impartially and independently. However, restrictions that limit who can run for office, such as a requirement that candidates be citizens by birth, have drawn criticism from international observers.
During the 2018 campaign period, the major political parties interpreted the citizenship provision to exclude people with dual citizenship from standing for office. Analysts believe this interpretation was meant to push NGC presidential candidate Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella out of the race. Many other candidates reportedly failed to secure party nominations due to their dual citizenship.
- Political Pluralism and Participation
Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings? Although people have the right to organize in different political parties, opposition parties and leaders have faced intimidation and harassment from the current SLPP government and the APC when it held the presidency.
Opposition parties and leaders have faced intimidation and harassment from the current SLPP government and the APC when it held the presidency
The APC and SLPP are the country’s main political parties, but 17 parties officially registered for the 2018 elections. In 2017, several high-profile figures left the SLPP to form the NGC. While candidate nomination fees are subsidized, the costs of running for office and a rule requiring public-sector personnel to resign 12 months ahead of an election serve as barriers to entry for many candidates, giving an advantage to larger parties and those with greater resources.
- Functioning of Government
Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government? The elected president and Parliament generally determine the government policy, but most power lies within the executive.
China has become the largest investor in Sierra Leone, providing billions of dollars in aid and infrastructure financing since 2013. Beijing cultivated a close relationship with the Koroma administration, which led civil society leaders to claim that China had an undue influence on policymaking. In 2018, the SLPP government cancelled a controversial deal with China to build a new airport near Freetown, though other bilateral projects were ongoing as of 2020.
Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? Corruption remains a pervasive problem at every level of government. Although there has been a decrease in perceived corruption among political institutions, rates of bribery remain high among ordinary citizens seeking basic services.
Corruption remains a pervasive problem at every level of government
The Bio administration has promised to tackle systemic corruption and hold perpetrators from the previous government accountable. Commissions of Inquiry (CoI) into Koroma-era corruption presented significant evidence of malfeasance to President Bio in March 2020. A report containing their findings was published in September, with Koroma and as many as 130 other individuals subsequently facing travel bans. Investigators questioned Koroma twice in November, and investigations based on the report’s findings were ongoing at year’s end.
In March 2020, Labor Minister Alpha Osman Timbo and four other individuals were accused of misappropriating a donation of rice from the Chinese government in 2019, while Timbo was education minister. The High Court discharged the case against Timbo and the other defendants in July, after the ACC declined to offer evidence.
Civil Liberties
- Freedom of Expression and Belief
Are there free and independent media? Numerous independent newspapers circulate freely, and there are dozens of public and private radio and television outlets. However, public officials have previously employed libel and sedition laws to target journalists, particularly those reporting on elections and high-level corruption. In July 2020, Parliament voted to repeal Part V of the 1965 Public Order Act, which criminalized libel and sedition, and introduced the Independent Media Commission Act, which was criticized by some observers who warned that it would no longer allow the registration of newspapers as sole proprietorships.
However, public officials have previously employed libel and sedition laws to target journalists, particularly those reporting on elections and high-level corruption
In April 2020, soldiers in the city of Kenema physically attacked Standard Times reporter Fayia Amara Fayia after he photographed a COVID-19 quarantine facility. Fayia was later arrested for attacking a soldier and was denied medication for a preexisting condition while in custody; his case was ongoing as of November.
Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution? Private discussion remains largely open, though freedom of personal expression may be affected by the threat of violence from powerful interests. While authorities reportedly monitor discussions on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, few arrests have been made for online discussions or comments.
- Associational and Organizational Rights
Is there freedom of assembly? While freedom of assembly is constitutionally guaranteed, the police have repeatedly refused to grant permission to organizers planning protests, and peaceful demonstrations have been violently dispersed in recent years.
Public gatherings of more than 100 people were banned via COVID-19 measures from March through at least early December. Protests and clashes were nevertheless recorded during the year. In June, the rape and murder of a child prompted several days of demonstrations; authorities in Freetown detained at least 20 demonstrators during one of the protests, though they were released soon after. In July, protesters objecting to the relocation of a power station attacked SLPP offices in Makeni. Authorities responded forcefully, killing at least four people.
- Rule of Law
Is there an independent judiciary? While the constitution provides for an independent judiciary, the courts are prone to executive interference, particularly in corruption cases. A lack of clear procedures for appointing and dismissing judges leaves those processes vulnerable to abuse. Judicial corruption, poor salaries, and inadequate resources also undermine judicial autonomy.
Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population? LGBT+ people face discrimination in employment and health-care access and are vulnerable to violence. Sex between men is criminalized under a colonial-era law, and anti-LGBT+ discrimination is not explicitly prohibited by the constitution. Women experience discrimination in employment, education, and access to credit. Employers frequently fire women who become pregnant during their first year on the job.
LGBT+ people face discrimination in employment and health-care access and are vulnerable to violence
- Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education? Sierra Leoneans generally enjoy freedom of movement, but the government periodically imposed lockdowns and curfews throughout the year to curb the spread of COVID-19. A national curfew was also employed, though the government shortened it in June and lifted it in October.
Petty corruption is common, and parents often must pay bribes to register their children in primary and secondary school.
Do individuals enjoy personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, protection from domestic violence, and control over appearance? Reports of rape and domestic violence rarely result in conviction, and the police unit responsible for investigating and prosecuting these crimes remains underfunded and understaffed. In 2019, Parliament passed the Sexual Offences Amendment Act, which allows life sentences for those convicted of raping a child.
FGM is not prohibited by law, and the practice remains widespread.
Girls who were pregnant or previously had children were prohibited from attending schools under a 2010 ban which was lifted in March 2020. The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ruled the practice was discriminatory in late 2019.
Child marriage has consistently been a problem, with a reported 39 percent of women aged 20–24 having been married by age 18 according to a report published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2017. In October 2020, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) published the results of a survey of women in 15 African countries, including Sierra Leone; that survey recorded a rise in sexual violence as well as in early or forced marriages when COVID-19 restrictions were imposed.
FGM is not prohibited by law, and the practice remains widespread
Women experience discrimination on personal status matters such as marriage and divorce. Customary law governs many of these issues, making it difficult for women to seek legal recourse.
Do individuals enjoy equality of opportunity and freedom from economic exploitation? Reports of economic exploitation among workers in the natural-resource sector are common. Human trafficking remains a problem, though the 2020 edition of the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report noted that the authorities were doing more to investigate trafficking and prosecute suspects. The first trafficking convictions in 15 years were secured in February 2020. Reports of judicial corruption and police abuse of victims remained common, however.