SLPP PRESS FREEDOM INDEX UNDER PA KABBAH
2002 = 87
2003 = 88
2004= 126
2005 = 104
2006= 121
2007 = 114
APC Inherited Press Freedom at 114 In 2007 But End At 79 In 2017
35 places improvement in 10 years with a lot of reforms and improvements to press freedom.
APC GOVT PRESS FREEDOM INDEX UNDER EBK REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT
2008= 115
2009=91(24 places improvement)
2010= 63 (28 places improvement
2011= 63
2012=61
In the first 5 years of APC Government, Press freedom improved 53 places from SLPP Ex-President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah at 114
Second Term Press Index Index
2013= 72
2014=79
2015=83
2016=85
2017 =79
Therefore, overall Press Freedom from 2007 at 114 under SLPP president Kabbah to 2017 at 79 is 35 places overall improvement in 10 years.
Imagine Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 under SLPP in 2007 at 114 was living hell.
We were even ranked 126 in 2004 under SLPP administration!
SLPP ‘Paopa’ Government under President Bio Press Freedom Ranking
2018= 86
2019 =85
2020= 75
In the past three years, we only gained 4 places under SLPP in the Press freedom index.
Whilst under APC Government of President Koroma in the first 5 years from 2008 to 2012, Sierra Leone improved 53 places (3 years 28 places).
https://rsf.org/en/worldwide-press-freedom-index-2005
https://rsf.org/en/second-world-press-freedom-ranking-october-2003
https://rsf.org/en/world-press-freedom-index-20112012
https://rsf.org/en/ranking/2019
Credit: Perspective Scope
Press Freedom Index: APC Achieved More!
In 3 years, only 4 places improvement SLPP had scored unlike the first three years of which Sierra Leone improved 28 places on press freedom. In first five years, Préss freedom ranking improved 53 places from 114 in 2007 to 61 places in 2012.
CATALOGUING THE HORRIBLE PRESS FREEDOM RECORDS OF SLPP
1) 17th July, 2018
Arrest and detention of a civil society activist, Edmond Abu, Executive Director of Native Consortium and Research Centre, by the Sierra Leone Police for staging a peaceful protest in Freetown against the increments in fuel pump price.
2) 22nd July, 2018
Invitation of the Leader and Chairman of ADP Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray and Abdul Fonti Kabia, formerly of AYV, to CID for interview he granted in response to allegation relating to the alleged publication of false news.
3) September, 2018
Invitation of journalist to Parliament to answer to some questions in connection with a story broadcast on African Young Voices TV, titled “Caught on Camera”, involving a member of parliament, Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay and two others in a land matter.
The AYV Director of News and Current Affairs, Mr. Samuel Wise Bangura, appeared before Parliament and was asked to retract and apologise. But he refused/declined.
4) 10th September, 2018
Attack on the publisher of The Elephant Newspaper, Nimatu Kamara allegedly by youth of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) for allegedly criticising the new regime of President Julius Maada Bio.
(5) September 2018
Attack on AYV TV journalist, Ransford Metzger, while investigating an alleged corruption matter at the St. Joseph Secondary School in Freetown.
6) 29th September 2018
Attack on the former Editor of Awareness Times Newspaper, John Koroma, during a Bye-Election in Tonko Limba, Kambia District, Northern Sierra Leone, on September 29, 2018, allegedly by a team of Sierra Leone Police officers and persons openly identifying themselves as SLPP supporters.
7) 29th September 2018
Arrest of Fayia Amara Fayia of Star Radio and Standard Times Newspaper by CID officers outside the AYV media on what the CID said was a post on his Facebook page containing defamatory words against His Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
8) 5th November 2018
Harassment of Alhassan Jalloh, Editor of the Unique Newspaper, by police officers attached to the Lumley Police Station in the West end of Freetown, while investigating a fracas between Leonco Filling Station at Lumley and a mosque.
9) 14th January 2018
Arrest and detention of Alpha Thorley, Managing Editor of the Night Watch Newspaper by the Sierra Leone Police on 14th January, 2019 on the allegation of publishing false information that several diplomatic passports were illegally given to families of the ruling government officials.
YEAR 2019
10) 3rd-6th May 2019
Attacks on and intimidation of civil society leaders, including the Executive Director of Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), Madam Marcella Samba-Sesay, who had publicly expressed critical views on the media about the governance challenges.
13) 2nd May 2019
Attack on a civil society activist, Morlai Conteh, President of the National Youth Coalition of Sierra Leone, allegedly by a group of military officers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) after the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party did a walkout protest of the Presidential State Opening of Parliament on 2nd May 2019.
14) 28th June 2019
Arrest and detention of four local journalists- Sallieu Tejan Jalloh, Publisher of the Times SL Newspaper; David Johnson, Editor of Times SL Newspaper; Mustapha Sesay, General Editor, Standard Times Newspaper; and Abu Bakarr Kargbo (Father Bakish), a Senior Staff Writer of Standard Times Newspaper- in Freetown on Friday 28th June 2019.
They were charged with eight-count for allegedly publishing defamatory articles in the Times SL Newspaper and the Standard Times Newspaper respectively against Pa Momoh Fofanah Esq, a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone.
15) 8th September 2019
Assault on two female sport journalists (Francess Bernard- Bundor and Easter Marie Samura) of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC) by Officers of the Sierra Leone Presidential guard on Sunday 8th September 2019, at the National Stadium, during the FIFA 2022 World Cup preliminary return-led match between Sierra Leone and Liberia.
16) September, 2019
Arrest and detention of Mahmud Tim Kargbo on 20th September 2019 for allegedly publishing a defamatory article against Hon Justice Miatta Samba’, an Appeal Court Judge.
Arrest and detention of the Managing Editor of the Times Newspaper Sallieu Tejan Jalloh (Sal Tee) on 11th November 2019 in Freetown, by plainclothes police officers in connection with an SMS text message that he sent to the Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, Prof. David Francis enquiring about an alleged payment of US$ 1.5 million into his private ECOBANK account by SL Mining, which license had been cancelled by the state.
Compiled By Perspective Scope.
