The SLPP led- government of President Julius Maada Bio is making frantic efforts to promulgate a new law which will give the government the right to extradite or bring people from the diaspora to Sierra Leone.
The cyber crime bill which is presently in parliament was specifically drafted to target people in the disapora who have been critical of the current government. Among them are the likes of Allieu Kamara aka Emmanuel currently living in France and a host of many others.
Alieu Kamara aka Emmanuel is believed to be a strong critical voice whose stance to see Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans being free from the hands of the current government. Since president Bio took power some three years ago, human rights violations as well as suppression and oppression of the opposition has become a normal system. The government is on records to have arrested journalists, civil society activists as well as members of the opposition political parties. Some are presently in prison whilst others are in detention at the criminal investigation department without being charged to court. The likes of Allieu Kamara aka Emmanuel who the Bio government perceived to be member of the opposition All People’s Congress have been targeted and are among the list of people listed as wanted by the current government.
With the cyber crime bill, it will make it easy for the Bio government to go after the likes of Allieu Kamara aka Emmanuel , Adebayo among others who Sierra Leoneans now see as the voice of the voiceless.
Therefore, it is interesting for the diplomatic community to know that the desperate move by the Bio government to extradite Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora they perceived and considered as critical voices will not only destroy the democratic space but will as well create panic in the minds of others who are doing extremely well in holding the current government accountable.
Recently, the Office of National Security in one of their releases expressed strong position in support of the cyber crime bill and the President in his media engagement also butressed same and even mentioned names of Sierra Leoneans in the disapora he considered and perceived as critical voices against his government.
Civil Society and Human Rights Organization alongside the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists have all frowned at the Cyber Crime Bill. In the words of a prominent legal luminary, Lawyer Sorie Sengeh Marah described the cyber crime bill as ” very dangerous even than the criminal libel law”.
Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad have all raised grave concern on this bill but the government is on a motive to go after critical voices of which Allieu Kamara aka Emmanuel currently in France is a prime target.
