Cmas in sweet Salone...

Another Cmas in sweet Salone has come and gone... but is fondly remembered.

Cmas Eve was quiet... and dark. No power, no internet connection, candles burning brightly. Started a new book (via headlamp) and relished the horizontal reading and early night. Listened to the music from a street party... and the firecrackers that are popular here at this time of year.

Cmas morning... a bit of a lie-in in bed... guess I needed the sleep. Up to heat water and enjoy my Nescafe while doing a crossword puzzle sitting on my small balcony under the Salone sun. The streets were quiet... first thing in the morning. As I finished my third crossword and my second cup of coffee, the streets became more active... people wandering down the hill carrying laden baskets of food to share, to picnic or to deliver. My phone kept "beeping" notices of holiday cheer and best wishes, which was lovely. Called some folks in Sierra Leone... to wish them happy holidays... and sent some text messages to those up-country.

Washed, dressed and out for a motorbike ride... after checking Congo Cross for the presence of police. All clear and helmet stowed inside... made my way around the western area of Freetown... enjoying the wind in my hair and sunshine on my cheeks. Zipped to a special friend's house... to share a drink, a delicious plate of fish and rice with their family... and listen to Barney's Cmas on their CD player. The children... there are always children... were excited and playful. Women in the compound were dressed in their Sunday best... hair freshly braided and adorned. The men sat and visited... talked about the holidays, the country, the compound, the elections... there are always political discussions... and joyfully ate plates of rice and drank cold soft drinks.

Well fed, I took a cruise along Aberdeen/Lumley Beach were thousands of revelers gathered to picnic, to hang out, to play football, to listen to music, to play on the sand and in the waves under the sunny skies. Great to see so many people out enjoying themselves... relaxing and, for a moment/day/afternoon, forgetting about their issues of concern.

Back home to tidy up and gather some books, chocolates and drinks... and off to visit more friends. Cmas music greeted me at their door... K&T are great hosts and had cold drinks waiting... Enjoyed a fabulous meal with special friends, new friends and colleagues. Of course, I ate too much and drank too much... and was thankful for their comfy couch at the end of dinner.

K. cooked turkey, stuffing and gravy... that was just delicious. Apple crumble and ice cream for dessert. Wow... T. cooked curry goat and spicy rice with beans... her heritage.

Exchanged books with people... shared ideas, talked a lot... and had a wonderful time.

Today is Boxing Day... (this morning I'm blessed with electricity and an internet connection) and more visiting is on the agenda. I'll be out on my motorbike again... with my helmet this time. But this morning... I'm thinking about family in Canada... friends in Canada... snow in Canada... Cmas holidays in Canada... decorations in Canada... and all that my country has to offer at this time of year.

Special thoughts and warm embraces to my extraordinary son, Isaac, who I miss terribly. My family is never far from my thoughts... and, if you're reading this, thank you for everything. I do miss you all.

Another Cmas in Salone... Who knows what the future holds.

Wishing one and all a very happy holiday.
S/

An official hug...

A dear friend posted this to me after reading about my recent experience with Futureshop in Barrie, Ontario. And, I think this about sums it all up... Thank goodness for my "good ole Canadian roots".

Sierra Leone Police...

I may have written about the SL Police before... but I came across this article that better illustrates the problems here in Freetown. 

Human Rights report exposes Sierra Leone Police 

December 11th, 2012 · by Abu Bakarr Kargbo

A report for a Human Right Organization, RIGHTSWAY has exposed the unprofessionalism and criminal behaviour of some police officers in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Police is said to be continuously engaged in unprofessional and criminal behaviour, as police abuse of their powers and human rights abuses uncovered on Human Rights Day.


As the world marks International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2012, RIGHTSWAY highlighted in its findings, countless number of Sierra Leone Police Officers that continue to engage in unprofessional and criminal behaviour, which undermine the theme of this year’s Human Rights Day…. “Inclusion and rights to participate in public life”
The findings collated from interviews with about 120 police officers of various ranks and victims of police atrocities said several officers admitted in private that suspects were often tortured and detained unlawfully to distort money or impose cohesive measures on political activists
The report entitled: “Sierra Leone Police: Reckless, Lawless, Powerless, Useless…” claims that a reckless, lawless, powerless, and useless police was a major setback to inclusion and the right to participate in public life. The report argues that police has an integral role to play in enhancing this year’s theme on human rights day…the rights of all people—- women, Youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, the poor and marginalized—to make their voice heard in public life and be included in political decision-making.
The report alleges that police officers were perpetrators of various crimes and human rights violations in the country. The report found that there were persistent allegations of crime victims being required to pay for investigations and of police involvement in extortion, solicitation of bribes, and other criminal acts. The police discriminate against people on the basis of political influence and financial status and consider themselves above the law, undermining the country’s democratic ideals.

The report highlights that the state had been negligent in ensuring public security and guaranteeing justice for victims of violence committed by “agents of the state”. An investigation into the scale and extent of the problem suggests professional misconduct in the police were widespread. The situation raises questions about the efficacy of the police complaints system, recruitment into the police, the police’s internal disciplinary procedures, the vetting of officers and a failure to monitor disciplinary offences.

The report revealed that police are abusing their power to garget victims of crime they are supposed to be helping. Those targeted by the officers are predominantly youth, but in some cases are children and women, many of them vulnerable members of the society. The Eastern Police Station and the Central Police Station in Freetown were named as the most notorious of these crimes, according to the report
For instance, the report described a vulnerable youth, who was twice arrested and detained unlawfully and re-arrested and detained again the following day, beyond the 72hours constitutional time limit prescribed in section 17(3) of the 1991 Sierra Leone constitution, without charge. The officer involved was a senior police officer named ID (d/PC 7706 Kpaka E.WMS) at the Central Police Station in Freetown. He was involved in distorting monies from a group of youth to facilitate the unlawful detention of this vulnerable youth. The Police head of media, ASP Ibrahim Samura, was called to intervene and accompanied the victim to the station to identify the officer involved, but no action was taken against the officer and the complaint was never pursued.

A young woman claims she was in the National Stadium after a political event with her fiancé when two police officers came by. She alleged that two of them raped her while the third kept guard and later attempted to extort money from her fiancé. The woman had this to say. “If you made a complaint to the police, they will have to ask you for certain amount of money to go and invite the suspect. They won’t do it without providing transport or morale booster. If you don’t have money to give them, your case will not be heard. They will tell you to go and come back the other day.

The report also describes instances in which the investigators witnessed a police officer grab a disabled youth activist who was complaining of an injured shoulder while being arrested during a political event. The officer repeatedly shoved the young man’s shoulder while handcuffing him, then cursed and accused him of lying, when he shouted in pain. The investigating Team also observed an officer kick a political activist in the face. The responsible officer was observed getting into a police van, which then drove away.

An independent journalist described her feelings: I am terrified of police now—-for a while, when police came near me, my legs would start shaking. Seeing people being arrested and detained unlawfully….just now have this immediate fear of reaction.
Alpha Umarr Barrie, Coordinator of RIGHTSWAY said: I don’t think any (victims) are quite as damaged as those who are victims of police officers…the damage is far deeper because they trusted the police and…believed that the police were supposed to protect them and support their rights to participate in public life”

“The breach of that trust has an enormous effect: They feel that if they can’t trust a police officer, who can they trust? They lose their confidence in everyone, even those in authority. It is one of the worst crimes that can be committed and when committed by an officer, becomes one of the greatest abuses of power”, said Alpha.

A Sierra Leonean from the UK who was one of the legal consultants for the report, Messeh Kamara, opined that: “for many years there have been a high number of crimes committed by police that are not being investigated. This has contributed not only to the corruption of the police but to the actual involvement of officers in criminal acts”. Messeh said that there had been complete impunity for alleged abuses” and said that the conduct amounted to a complex mapping of political suppression…this behaviours by the police undermines the theme of this year’s Human Right s Day inclusion and the right to participate in public life”. He says.

The report accused the police of “committing gross human rights violations—- often against vulnerable groups including unemployed motorbike riders and commercial drivers on flimsy traffic offences for which they are seldom brought to justice”. Allegations of unlawful killings, beatings, and excessive use of force by police officers are rarely investigated effectively, the report says.

Whether it be police atrocities in Bumbuna where the police went on the rampage shooting and beating up people, the murder of one okada rider at Goderich, the shootings that killed several civilians in Calaba Town, the violent eviction of a disabled youth group at Ecowas Street, some political leaders sanction of violence during elections, the unlawful detention of political activists from Kenema for 15 days without charge, the illegal detention or custodial violence by police throughout the country the culture and legal structure of impunity has allowed the most fundamental violation so of human rights to go unchecked, the report claims.

The report also highlights great variations among police departments in their recording of arrests. In many departments, police officers take people into custody, hold them at the station, question and then release them without filling out an arrest report. For all practical purposes, these people were arrested, but their arrests don’t show up in the official data. The report found that, overcrowding and inadequate food, sanitation, and health care in prisons remain serious concerns. The population of the country’s largest detention facility designed for 324 detainees-stands at over 1,400.65 percent of prisoners is being held in prolonged pre-trial detention
Political activists, journalists, legal observers and lawyers interviewed for this report often voiced a lack of confidence in the mechanisms available for holding police accountable for misconduct. Common concerns included fear that reporting police abuse to the police would result in retaliation, and a perception that accountability mechanisms were ineffective, or that any punishment would be so minor as to make pursuing the matter pointless.
Overall, the widespread impunity for egregious Constitutional violations has a negative impact on theme of this year’s Human Rights Day. Indeed, impunity is the quintessential civil rights issue facing Sierra Leone today: if inclusion and the rights to public life were to be achieved, the issue of police misconduct has to be adequately addressed so that victims of abuse can obtain justice, and officials and the State are held accountable
The report concludes with a set of recommendations, including calling on “Government to adopt and publicize new police policies that respect civil liberties and human rights. The report calls for an independent process of investigation and the creation of an independent body that has the power to investigate police actions. The report also calls for authorities to establish an Assistant Inspector General to oversee the police misconduct.
The report warns that if human rights education for the police and the general public including young people and women and the prosecution of agents of the state committing these horrific crimes are not considered, conflict could re-emerge in a country that already suffered from 11 years of brutal civil war.
Despite all the challenges in the Sierra Leone police, the report however commends the general police conduct in connection to the recently held elections. The report also commends the police Family support Unit amid their massive workload, with the limited resources available.

It's a Canadian thing...

Only in Canada, I'm sure...

I'm amazed, awed and honestly a bit shocked by it all... You see, two days ago I decided to order a new Macbook computer from Futureshop.ca. I have a colleague, Justine, who's traveling to Canada (Toronto) for Cmas and then coming back here to Freetown in January. She very kindly asked if she could bring me anything... and of course I jumped at her offer and the opportunity to upgrade my present computer.

I "reserved" a Macbook Pro via Futureshop in Barrie, Ontario. Yes, it took me almost an hour while the internet slooowwly chugged away... but I managed. After I'd placed the reservation, I got an acknowledgement e-mail from a sales woman at the store saying she'd brought the computer up to the front desk and all my parents had to do was pick it up and pay.

I wrote back to Samantha, at Futureshop, and thanked her profusely for her help, efficiency and speed of response. I told her I was in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa... and we shared some e-mails back and forth. She asked what I missed about Canada... In my ramblings about Freetown and Canada, I happened to mention that I hadn't had a Tim Horton's coffee in a very, very long time... among other things I missed about Canada.

Well... Sure enough, my parents picked up the Macbook Pro at the front desk of Futureshop in Barrie the next day... although Samantha wasn't working at the time. And, lo and behold, there was a tin of Tim Horton's coffee, a special TH mug and a card, signed by members of staff at Futureshop, waiting with the Macbook. Samantha and her sales manager, Dave, conspired to send a touch of Canadianna to Sierra Leone with the Macbook.

That... that was so sweet... so thoughtful... so special... and so utterly Canadian of them all. Again, it surprised me and amazed me. Only in Canada. Only from Canada. And, I'm delighted. I can't wait till my colleague, Justine, gets back here in January... some computer fun... AND, a lovely, tall "double-double" of Timmies coffee. What more could a Canadian in Freetown want?! Nada!!

Special thanks to Samantha and the folks at Futureshop... No, this is not a paid-for advertorial... It really did happen. Maybe we should make a commercial out of it. Smile. Just joshin'.

Yours,
S/