The International Federation of Journalists today has called on the authorities of Sierra Leone to investigate and bring to book the attacks against two print journalists by serving members of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
« We have vigorously condemned these attacks against the two journalists, and we welcome the investigation announced by the Minister for Defense to punish those who caused the attacks, » said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Office Director.
According to Sierra-Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), an IFJ affiliate, Poindexter Sama and Alie Turay, two journalists with Awoko a daily independent newspaper were attacked and injured on August 2, by the soldiers who the journalists had photographed whilst they were passing in front of the Newspapers’s office in Freetown. They confiscated mobile phones, two memory sticks and a camera battery from the two journalists.
The soldiers were mobilized to quell a demonstration staged by the former soldiers who were protesting against non-payment of their benefits. The chronically ill or wounded in action, as the former soldiers are known had earlier in the day attacked and beaten up the Minister of Defense Paollo Conteh within the vicinity of the ministry.
The journalists wanted from their premises to take pictures of the group of former soldiers heading towards the Ministry for Defense. Soldiers went directly to journalists, attacking them.
« The security forces should understand that safety of journalists in the course of their work must be protected, and we call on authorities to fight impunity, » Baglo added.
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For more information contact the IFJ on +221 33 867 95 86/87
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 134 countries