Important info from Amnesty International...

Sierra Leone: Ebola regulations and other laws must not be used to curtail freedom of expression and assembly

4 May 2015, 13:26 UTC

Sierra Leone should stop using emergency regulations brought in to combat Ebola as a pretext to restrict freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International said today.

Now that Ebola cases are reducing and schools have re-opened, the government should immediately review the State of Emergency provisions and ensure that only provisions strictly required to fight the Ebola epidemic remain in effect. Rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must not be unnecessarily or disproportionately curtailed

Sabrina Mahtani, Amnesty International’s West Africa researcher.

The call comes following an increase in arrests of opposition members, bans on peaceful protests and an unwillingness to tolerate dissent that has heightened following the removal of former Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana on 18 March. Even though cases of Ebola have sharply reduced in Sierra Leone, State of Emergency measures have been increasingly used alongside other laws to stifle criticism, some of which are thought to be linked to the removal of the Vice President.

On Sierra Leone’s Independence Day, 27 April, 15 members of the main opposition party, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and a Senior Officer from the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, were arrested in Kenema (East) and are currently on trial. There are concerns about excessive use of force by the police with several people injured. A march organised by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists on Independence Day in Freetown was also banned. Eight days earlier, 10 people were arrested for protesting outside the US Embassy, while in March a meeting of the Bar Association was broken up. In contrast, assemblies and events held by the governing party have been allowed.

In November 2014 a journalist was detained for 11 days for criticising the Ebola response, and in April 2015 eight people from Kono were detained for six months without charge following disorder linked to a suspected Ebola case. Last month a man was charged with insulting the President after having forwarded a Whatsapp message he did not author. In all of the cases, apart from the latter, State of Emergency powers were cited as reasons for police action.

All restrictions on human rights under the State of Emergency and other laws must be in accordance with international law and standards, and not be arbitrarily or discriminatorily applied. Certain rights, such as the right to a fair trial or prohibition against ill treatment, cannot be derogated even during a State of Emergency. The focus must be the fight against the Ebola epidemic and not stifling of dissent.

Sabrina Mahtani.

Amnesty International calls on the government of Sierra Leone to urgently review the State of Emergency provisions and to ensure that everyone can exercise their rights to freedom of expression and assembly in conformity with international and regional human rights law. The organization also calls for an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of excessive use of police force in Kenema on Independence Day.

BACKGROUND

Opposition protestors and Human Rights Commission member arrested in Kenema, 27 April

On 27 April 2015, Sierra Leone’s Independence Day, 15 people were arrested in the city of Kenema following a protest at the office of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). Witnesses described how police fired teargas into a crowd of about one hundred people and how people were beaten with canes. The police later stated the arrests were carried on under the State of Emergency provisions prohibiting public gatherings and claimed they had refused permission for the protest to be held.
Following the protest, the chairperson, Ella Goba, and Public Relations Officer, Dawson Kuyateh, were then arrested and beaten when they went to the police station to enquire about the persons detained.

Photos confirmed by witnesses show that her injuries included a swollen face, a black eye and wounds to her arms and back. Mr Kuyateh’s lawyer stated that he had wounds on his neck and head.
The Senior Regional Officer of the Human Rights Commission, Hassan Yajah, was also arrested and reportedly beaten at the police station as he sought to intervene. On the same morning he spoke on the radio about a recent Human Rights Commission press release that raised concerns about the discriminatory application of the State of Emergency.

The 15 SLPP members and the Senior Regional Officer of the Human Rights Commission were charged with 11 counts under the Public Emergency Regulations (prohibition of public gatherings), the Public Order Act and common law. They were refused bail on 28 April and again on 1 May, despite the defence lawyers making an application on medical grounds as many of the accused were in pain following their injuries. They are still detained in Kenema prison and will appear in court again on 8 May.

Ebola march on Independence Day banned, 27 April.

A march planned for Independence Day, 27 April, in association with the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, to launch the Women’s Leadership and Participation in Zero Ebola campaign was banned. The Sierra Leone Police withdrew permission a day before stating that they had received information about groups planning to join the march to protest about non Ebola matters, which are not allowed under the State of Emergency provisions.

Protesters arrested following US Embassy protest in Freetown, 19 April

On 19 April, 10 people – many SLPP supporters - were arrested three days after holding a peaceful march outside the US Embassy. Protestors were singing the country’s national anthem and displaying placards concerning the Vice President’s removal as well as concerns about mismanagement of Ebola funds following a critical report by Sierra Leone’s Auditor General. The march was dispersed by the police who took down names of the organisers. The protestors understand they were arrested under the Public Emergency Regulations provisions, which ban public gatherings. They were detained for three days and then released on police bail. They have to report back to the police on a regular basis.

Bar Association meeting disrupted, 20 March

A meeting by the Bar Association at the Law Courts building in Freetown on 20 March 2015 was disrupted by the police. Reasons given include because the meeting was not Ebola related and also because the meeting had extended past 6pm. Many lawyers feel the reason is because they were about to vote on whether the President’s act to remove the Vice President was unconstitutional. One lawyer was arrested as he left the Law Courts singing the national anthem and holding a placard with a group of lawyers, and was released a few hours later. A subsequent Bar Association meeting was refused permission to be held by the police.

Closing space for freedom of expression and assembly

Sierra Leone has been grappling with the Ebola epidemic for the past year which has claimed over 3,800 lives. The President declared a State of Emergency in July 2014 and passed the Public Emergency Regulations 2014. By-Laws for the Prevention of Ebola and Other Diseases were also passed by the Ministry of Local Government, including a ban on public gatherings. This was aimed at enabling the government and its partners to more robustly deal with the Ebola outbreak.

In a context of the decreasing Ebola epidemic, some concerns over increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly have emerged. The Vice President, Sam-Sumana, was expelled on 6 March 2015 from the All People’s Congress (APC), the political party currently in power, whilst he was in self-enforced Ebola quarantine. The President sacked him on 18 March and appointed a new Vice President. Sam-Sumana has petitioned the Supreme Court to block his replacement from carrying out his duties pending a final ruling on the legality of his dismissal. The court has still not made a decision but a wave of protests followed, particularly in the diaspora, raising concerns about the constitutionality of this action and perceived mismanagement of Ebola funds.

Amnesty International has previously expressed concerns about the increasing restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly over the past few months, through use of the State of Emergency and other laws. These rights are enshrined in Sierra Leone’s Constitutions and other regional and international human rights treaties to which Sierra Leone is a party, such as the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

On 23 April 2015 the Sierra Leone Human Rights Commission put out a press release raising concern about the discriminatory implementation of the Public Emergency Regulations 2014, particularly Section 15 which derogates the Right to Freedom of Assembly and Association. They observed that some groups have been allowed to assemble and express their views but others have been denied an opportunity by the Sierra Leone Police. They also urged Parliament to review the State of Emergency regulations given the reduction in Ebola cases and the reopening of schools in early April 2014.

Amnesty International had previously highlighted the situation of two women and six men from Kono who were detained for six months without charge under an Executive Order by the President following an alleged riot relating to a contested suspected Ebola case. A further five men were detained under the same Order between February and March 2015 in relation to the same incident. Constitutional safeguards, such as review of their detention by an independent tribunal, were not followed. The two women, were released on 12 April, following civil society activism, whilst the eleven men were finally charged on 21 April after a habeas corpus application was filed. It is thought a reason behind these arrests is because they are thought to be supporters of the former Vice President.

Amnesty International also previously highlighted the case of journalist David Tam Bayroh, who was arrested in November 2014 for comments made on his programme regarding the government’s response to the Ebola outbreak. He was shown an Executive Detention Order signed by President Ernest Bai Koroma, which accused him of incitement. He was detained for 11 days and released on bail. Other journalists state they practice self-censorship following this incident.

The government has reacted harshly to criticism from citizens as well as the media. Mamoud Tim Kargbo was charged with five counts under the Public Order Act 1964, including defamatory libel, for forwarding a WhatsApp message critical to the President although he did not author the message. The trial began on 8 April and is still ongoing. He has been detained in Pademba Road Prison for almost a month as his several bail applications have been refused. In another case, Ansumana Bangura was sentenced on 22 April 2015 to 6 months imprisonment on two counts of threatening language and public insult and provocation under the Public Order Act. He is supposed to have insulted the President in public and in the view of a police officer.

Others are now speaking out about pregnant school girls

PRESS RELEASE - March, 2015. 

Non-governmental education organisations call on government to urgently act on international commitments to guarantee pregnant girls’ right to education 

As key partners in the education sector and defenders of children’s right to education, we the undersigned non-governmental education organisations have been supporting the reopening of schools as the Ebola outbreak gradually comes to an end. We are however saddened and concerned about the Ministry of Education Science and Technology’s decision, in consultation with the Parliamentary Committee on Education, that pregnant girls in Junior Secondary School III will not be allowed to take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). We believe that such a decision has a long standing effect on girls’ ability to access education, especially as Sierra Leone currently has a high level of girls dropping out of school. Global evidence shows that educated mothers are more likely to have healthy children, and broaden opportunities to create a livelihood that collectively lifts families out of the cycle of poverty. 

Education is recognized as a fundamental human right nationally, regionally and internationally. The Sierra Leone Education Act of 2004 states the principle of non-discrimination in accessing Education (Art. 4 section 1). More specifically, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Youth Charter provides that the State shall ensure that girls and young women who become pregnant before completing their education shall have the opportunity to continue their education. International human rights treaties ratified by Sierra Leone that guarantee the right to education without discrimination (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Convention on the Rights of the Child). 

Despite international, regional and national standards and repeated commitments to reduce the gender gap in education, girls (especially pregnant girls) are often denied their right to education. Research shows that young girls seldom become pregnant by choice. Pregnancy amongst young girls is often a consequence of other rights violations, including coercion and/or sexual violence and rape, lack of information related to girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights, and harmful cultural practices such as early marriage. The Ebola crisis has exacerbated the already existing inequalities and vulnerabilities of girls to violence. The many months of school closure due to Ebola may also have resulted in an increase in teenage pregnancy and early and forced marriage, all of which have life-long consequences for girls as their opportunities for economic independence are restricted and they continue to be vulnerable to domestic violence and to the health consequences of early pregnancy. 

The Government of Sierra Leone has the obligation to protect and secure all girls’ right to continue education, including those who have become pregnant. We recognise that there are perceptions in some parts of society that find it difficult to accept pregnant girls in school, but we equally recognise that there are also a significant number of people who believe that all children have the right to education, whatever their circumstance. In building equal rights to education, it would be of national benefit for the Government of Sierra Leone to open the debate and share evidence of the incredible abilities of both girls and boys in education in Sierra Leone and work to dispel the myths that pregnancy affects a girl’s ability to learn and excel in education. 

As partners in education, we call on the Government of Sierra Leone to allow pregnant girls to have equal access to education by putting the following provisions in place: 

Publicly announce the Government’s commendable position on encouraging girls who have become mothers to go back to formal education. 

Remove urgently the decision that forbids pregnant girls’ to attend the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). 

Make provisions for pregnant girls to attend BECE in collaboration with the West African Examination Council. 

Introduce policies, programmes and mechanisms, based on the principle of the best interest of the child, to ensure that pregnant girls and adolescent mothers can complete their formal education in a non-discriminatory environment. 

Ensure that schools provide care and support to pregnant girls and adolescent mothers such as psychosocial counselling and legal support to report and prosecute incidents of violence. 

Consistently provide boys and girls with comprehensive HIV&AIDS education and sexual and reproductive health and rights education and services. 

Signed by: 

ActionAid Sierra Leone 

Education for All – Coalition 

Community Action to Restore Lives 

IBIS in Sierra Leone 

Sierra Leone Association of University Women (SLAUW) 

Plan Sierra Leone 

Concern Worldwide 

International Rescue Committee 

Save the Children 

Canada is involved with the fight against Ebola...

Canada's financial contributions

Canada has committed funding to support health, humanitarian and security interventions in West Africa. Allocations include:

• Over $20 million to the World Health Organization (WHO):
  • Over $15 million to strengthen the medical response in Ebola-affected countries.
    • This will be used to assist with preparedness activities in neighbouring countries not affected by Ebola.
    • It will also be used to improve coordination efforts.
  • $5 million to support international security-related Ebola response activities in West Africa.
    • Canada's contribution will support essential biosafety and biosecurity measures. These measures will strengthen the field response to the outbreak and reduce associated threats to health and security.
• $10.5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP):
  • This will be used to meet immediate food needs and prevent acute malnutrition among young children and women.
• $10 million to UNICEF for health education efforts in communities. Canada's support will:
  • increase the knowledge of health staff and community volunteers on preventative measures,
  • expand in-community care services for Ebola patients, and
  • improve access to basic services such as food, water and non-Ebola health services.
• $9.5 million to the WFP's United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). This support will help the Logistics Special Operation:
  • meet the critical logistics and transportation needs of responders, and
  • improve the efficiency of the overall humanitarian response.
• $4 million to the UN Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund to address critical gaps in response efforts.
• Over $3.8 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This will be used to:
  • support medical capacity to trace contact cases and manage clean-up efforts,
  • strengthen capacity in non-affected countries to prepare for and respond to the Ebola crisis, and
  • enhance coordination efforts.
• $5 million to the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) to help fill urgent medical and emergency staffing needs in emergency treatment centres. Canada's support is designed to save lives and stop the spread of Ebola.
• $5 million to the French Red Cross Society (FRCS) to support the operation of its Ebola Treatment Centres in Guinea. This support will ensure that Ebola-infected patients receive the treatment and care they need to survive.
• $4.2 million to Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) will be used to:
  • support treatment efforts, including in community care locations,
  • train medical and support staff in Guinea,
  • provide isolation and protection measures to limit and contain the spread of the Ebola virus, and
  • provide care to people affected by Ebola.
• $2.6 million to Samaritan's Purse to meet the urgent needs of those affected and prevent further spread of Ebola in Liberia. Canada's support will also be used to provide home-based care kits, educational material, and infection prevention and control kits.
• $1.3 million to Action Contre la Faim (ACF) will be used to increase awareness and training in communities in Sierra Leone and Guinea. These activities are designed to help contain the Ebola virus.
• $1 million to Plan Canada to set up Ebola Care Units. These Units will provide complementary care to people in Liberia who are affected by Ebola. This support will also be used to train healthcare and community workers.
• $1 million to CANADEM to support the deployment of Canadian and non-Canadian experts. They will be deployed to help United Nations agencies responding to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
• $1 million to OXFAM Québec will be used to help contain and reduce the spread of Ebola. This support will also increase access to treatment facilities for affected populations in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• $1 million to Save the Children will be used to implement an integrated multi-sectoral Ebola response in Guinea. This response effort will provide immediate assistance to vulnerable children and their families.
• $500,000 to CARE Canada will address the broader humanitarian impacts of Ebola. Canada's support will improve access to clean water. It will also enhance awareness of good hygiene practices to help contain the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
• $23.5 million to support further research and development of Ebola medical countermeasures. Canada's Ebola vaccine and monoclonal antibody treatments will be used to:
  • support clinical trials in Africa, and
  • help produce monoclonal antibody treatments.
• $3 million to support the provinces and territories in the delivery of infection control training and equipment. These funds will be used to help with the deployment of the Public Health Agency of Canada's Rapid Response Teams.
• $1 million to deploy additional trained Quarantine Officers at Canadian airports to support these enhanced border measures.
• Contingency planning to provide appropriate duty of care for Canadian personnel deployed to affected regions.

Canada is engaging in discussions with a number of partners on how best to continue to respond to the Ebola outbreak.

High profile (Canadian) visitors to Sierra Leone.

During the week of April 12th, we had visitors to Sierra Leone... The Canadian High Commissioner (based in Accra, Ghana), Christopher Thornlee, the Chief Public Health Officer of Public Health Canada, Dr. Gregory Taylor, the President and CEO of the Cdn Red Cross, Conrad Sauve, and the Executive Director of MSF/Doctors Without Borders, Stephen Cornish. 

Together, we visited the Cdn run laboratory at the MSF Ebola Treatment Centre in Magburka and the Kerry Town Ebola Treatment Centre where a group of Cdn military personnel are treating patients and supporting the efforts of the British military.

L-R: Conrad Sauve - Cdn Red Cross. Dr. Gregory Taylor - Chief Public Health Officer. Stephen Cornish - Cdn MSF/Doctors Without Borders and Christopher Thornlee, Canadian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone (based in Accra, Ghana). 

“Pay your ‘sellers tax’ but don’t sell here.”

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." - Mahatma Ghandi

There’s a Freetown City Council (FCC) by-law that says traders/sellers must not sell on several, specified streets in downtown Freetown. It’s probably not obvious to folks who visit the “central business district” or the downtown city core. Many streets are lined with street sellers – selling everything from phones to underclothes… from groundnuts to watermelons.

Personally, I love this kind of street shopping… and can usually find anything I really need… belts, vests, novels, phone cases, money changers, soaps, shoes, et cetera. In fact, I almost prefer shopping on the street over the few grocery stores and electronic shops frequented by ex-pats. When I buy something on the street, I know it’s going to help pay school fees for children, buy food for families, pay medical expenses and support some of the most vulnerable sectors of this society.

Hawa is a young friend who sells scented sprays and shoe polish on a street corner. She works beside Fatmata, Lovette, Zainab and Mary, who also sell assorted goods from small, plastic bowls or baskets. It takes Hawa an hour and a half every morning to get to work… and she begins her long commute home at 5:30 (just before the restriction on any sales after 6:00 PM). The women are there – reliably – on the corner, every day but Sunday.

The economic reality for most street sellers is pretty grim. Hawa’s profits are between 30-50,000Le per week (about $10). Hawa spends 4,000Le each day (just under $1) on transportation to and from her corner. She spends 5,000Le per day ($1) on food while she works. She often drinks 1,000Le worth of packet-water every day. Most days, she says, she adds an oral rehydration solution (ORS) to her water to replenish the moisture she loses under the sun. The ORS powder costs 500Le. Hawa and the others pay 300Le per day in City taxes levied against all street sellers.

The City taxes are collected by an obnoxious older man, Mr. Alusine they call him, who carries no identification, wears no uniform and wanders the streets collecting 300Le from anyone he catches. He dolls out a small “ticket” of paper that’s marked with the day’s date… Does he submit these Leones to the city coffers? He offers no explanation… but I suspect he’s a brother of someone who works at the City… and collects this money for his own use.

Hawa and the other women’s largest expense for the day are the bribes paid to Freetown City Council Municipal Police… who harass the women, “arrest” their market – taking baskets and bowls to the Police Station, or capturing them and imprisoning them overnight. Most of the time, the women cough up between 20-50,000Le in bribes and are given back their picked over baskets of small products. Many times, the police scoop up products for themselves… and the bribes go directly into the police constable’s pockets.

The women tried taking up a small collection of Leones to pay the officers every day… to leave them alone. The collecting officer would then turn a blind eye… but another FCC police constable would skulk past and also demand money and threaten the women and children with arrest – which ultimately means a bigger bribe.

When I first learned about how the FCC Police harass street sellers, several years ago, I was incensed… It’s so frustrating and sad to think of the hardship that Hawa and the other women go through… scraping by to put a bit of food on their tables.

"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. " - Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey

Following up on pregnant school girls...

My little blog about teen girls being tested for pregnancy before the BECE exams was stolen and copied by several newspapers and other websites... and subsequently read by far more folks than my "normal" small group of followers. Interesting... I'm formulating some thoughts on that but for now... I can let you know that there's been a substantial increase in interest in the whole topic.

One such group who finally took an interest in the issue was the UN office in Sierra Leone... and I'll copy their statement below.

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S  N A T I O N S   U N I E S

Office of the Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

STATEMENT ON THE BAN ON PREGNANT GIRLS RETURNING TO SCHOOL AND TAKING EXAMS

The United Nations in Sierra Leone notes the decision taken by the Government of Sierra Leone to disqualify pregnant schoolgirls from attending school and from sitting school examinations.

The United Nations wishes to remind the Government of Sierra Leone that education is a fundamental human right that Sierra Leone has committed itself to uphold. 

Article 4.1 of Sierra Leone’s Education Act (2004) includes the principle of non-discrimination in accessing education.

As a state Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Sierra Leone has accepted its international obligation under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of human rights and freedoms, which includes Article 13 of the Covenant, the right to education.  Furthermore, under Article 2.2 of the Covenant, Sierra Leone undertakes to guarantee the right to education without discrimination of any kind, including on the basis of sex.

The United Nations would encourage the Sierra Leone authorities to adopt a policy whereby pregnant schoolgirls can enjoy an education that is available, accessible and acceptable:

·       Available means that functioning educational institutions and programmes have to be available in sufficient quantity within Sierra Leone for the pregnant schoolgirls;

·       Accessible means that the schools must be accessible without discrimination; that they are physically accessible (i.e. within safe physical reach); and that they are affordable;

·       Acceptable means that the form and substance of education, including curricula and teaching methods, have to be acceptable.

The United Nations in Sierra Leone stands ready to assist the Government in fulfilling the right to education for all its children, irrespective of their temporary status as a pregnant teenager.

Freetown

14 April 2015