SIERRA LEONE PEOPLE’S PARTY

REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, NORTH AMERICA

 Office of the SLPP Regional Chairman

North America Region

595 Market Street

Suite 1350

San Francisco, CA 94105

Mr. Johnnie Carson

Assistant Secretary of State

Bureau of African Affairs

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street NW

Washington, DC 20520

January 17, 2012

Dear Mr. Carson:

Elections Violence, Arbitrary Arrests, Detention, and Torture in Sierra Leone

Members of the Sierra Leone People’s party in North America (SLPPNA) who are United States citizens request your strong support for our call on the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) government of President Ernest Bai Koroma to immediately and unconditionally release from unlawful detention the Chairman of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in Constituency 104, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Mr. Aziz Carew, and other senior opposition leaders and journalists.

Background

On Saturday night, January 14, 2012 (following an opposition win in council bye-elections polls) truckloads of armed paramilitary police directed by ruling APC leaders descended on the home of Mr. Aziz Carew without an arrest warrant from a judge as mandated in the constitution of Sierra Leone. The armed Police battered down the doors and windows of the Carew residence; molested and intimidated women, children, and minors in the Carew household; and then proceeded to beat up, strip, and drag the opposition leader while kicking him relentlessly in the head and ribs.

The paramilitary police also arbitrarily arrested, beat up, and handcuffed a journalist from one of the country’s radio stations, FM 98.1, who was covering the scene of the brutal beating of the opposition leader. The last we heard about Mr. Carew was that he was in a coma in Police detention and he was being deprived of independent medical services or legal advice and representation.

This brutality follows a day of violence which was initiated by ruling APC party thugs led by known APC leaders and members of parliament who, realizing that the ruling party was losing the Ward 369 bye-elections polls, attacked a series of polling stations to frighten off opposition voters. They also attacked the home of Mr. Aziz Carew. Mr. Carew was not at home. A young man who is unconnected to Mr. Aziz Carew grew irate at the heavy-handedness of ruling party leaders and thugs who had beaten up and broken the arm of the winning SLPP candidate. The still unidentified assailant allegedly stabbed the leader of the ruling party thugs, Mr. Lansana Fadika, in the leg.

Call to Action

Members of the SLPPNA call on the international community to leverage political pressure on the President of Sierra Leone, Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma, and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Francis Munu to take the following immediate measures:

1. Strongly advise that President Ernest Koroma and his ruling APC party to desist from authorizing the arbitrary arrests, torture, and unlawful detention of citizens. This practice violates constitutionally guaranteed and universally recognized human rights standards in the world’s democracies. It also undermines the very principles of good governance and peace that the international community including the United Nations, and the Government of the United States of America (through its various State Department agencies and representatives) have consistently supported in order to build a strong democracy in Sierra Leone.
2. Impress on President Ernest Koroma that he must implement with good faith the United Nations mediated communiqué which he signed in 2009 after his ruling party thugs again attacked and burned down opposition party headquarters, beat up dozens of opposition members, and sexually molested women members of the opposition SLPP.
3. Emphasize that in the interest of justice and security in Sierra Leone, President Koroma must bring to justice serial and well-known perpetrators of violence including known members of his personal bodyguard who have been named in various national commissions including the United Nations guaranteed Shear-Moses Commission to have caused grievous bodily harm, looted, wounded, and committed sundry acts of arson against opposition SLPP members and properties. The ruling APC government of President Koroma has failed to publish and act on the series of commission reports on political violence in Sierra Leone. Clearly, by consistently refusing to make public and act on those commission reports, the president is encouraging a culture of impunity and cover-up especially as draft reports leaked to and published in the press prominently name leading ruling party officials and the president’s bodyguard as complicit.
4. Foreground the importance of the statutory Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone and especially advise President Koroma that his anticipated action of replacing highly qualified and internationally recognized human rights experts with unqualified ruling APC party operatives is not in the best interests of objectively monitoring human rights and access to justice in a fragile post-war country still trying to consolidate peace and justice.

Members of the SLPPNA believe that adding your voice to this strong protest and appeal will help foster accountability, justice, and good governance in Sierra Leone.

Sincerely,

Augustine Boss Fallay

Regional Chairman, SLPP in North America

CC:

HE Eugène-Richard GASANA

Chairman, United Nations Peacebuilding Commission

Peacebuilding Support Office

730 Third Avenue, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Office of Congressman Donald M. Payne (D-NJ-10)

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Africa, Global health, and Human Rights

2310 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, District of Columbia 20515

Office of Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ 4th)

Chairman, Subcommittee on Africa, Global health, and Human Rights

Washington DC Office

2373 Rayburn H.O.B.

Washington, D.C. 20515

Office of Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R- NE)

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Africa, Global health, and Human Rights

1514 Longworth House Office

Washington, DC 20515

President Carter

The Carter Center

One Copenhill

453 Freedom Parkway

Atlanta, GA 30307

Phone: (404) 420-5100 or

(800) 550-3560

E-mail: carterweb@emory.edu

Mr. Daniel Bekele

Program Director - Africa

Human Rights Watch International

350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor

New York, NY 10118-3299 USA

Mr. Richard Docker

Director - International Justice Program

Human Rights Watch International

350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor

New York, NY 10118-3299 USA