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89 Fort Street
Freetown | Sierra Leone
14th February, 2025.
MEDIA UPDATE
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
Rtd. Brigadier Dr Julius Maada Bio
Office of the President
State House
State Avenue
Tower Hill
Freetown
14th February, 2025
Your Excellency,
LETTER APPEALING THAT YOU GRANT PRE-EMPTIVE PARDON TO HAWA MADIANA HUNT, A CANADIAN CITIZEN CURRENTLY LOCKED UP AT THE FEMALE CORRECTIONAL CENTRE IN FREETOWN
Christian Lawyers Centre (hereinafter referred to as LEGAL LINK) commends your exceptional leadership in the passing of progressive laws in the country since the inception of your first term in office and even to date.
Particular reference is being made to laws such as the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, the Sexual Offences Act as amended in 2019, the expulsion of Part V of the Public Order Act that criminalizes libel, defamation and slander; and quite recently the passing of the Prohibition of Early Child Marriage Act 2024. We also salute the leadership efforts of the First Lady in Championing Women and Girls rights in the country through the Hands Off our Girls programme.
Without doubt, the passing of these progressive laws and initiatives will surely have positive impacts in the lives of ordinary Sierra Leoneans especially women and girls in the country.
On another note your Excellency, LEGAL LINK wants to draw your attention to a matter of grave concern that needs your urgent action and intervention.
Your Excellency, you will recall that on the 22nd December 2024, Hawa Madiana Hunt, a young Artist and Social Media Commentator of both Canadian and Sierra Leonean citizenship, was arrested during a live broadcast on the reality TV show “House of Stars.” Her arrest was linked to a 25-minutes video she posted sometime in May 2023, in which she stoutly criticized you and your wife, Mrs. Fatima Maada Bio.
She has been charged under section 44 (2) (b) of the Cyber Security and Crime Act of 2021 for “Sending insulting messages by means of a computer system,” with the state prosecutors alleging that her video has damaged your reputation and that of your wife, causing you both apprehension and provocation to breach the peace. In the said charge sheet, both of you were alleged to be complainants in the matter.
Apparently your Excellency, the matter has been concluded by way of preliminary investigations at the Magistrate Court and Hawa Madiana Hunt was found guilty and committed to the High Court for further trial. However, the application for bail by her legal team was refused by the Magistrate Court throughout the proceedings and Hawa Hunt is currently held on remand at the Female Correctional Centre for almost two months now while awaiting her further trial in the High Court.
Given the public outcry and the grave concerns that have been raised by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International regarding Hawa Madiana Hunt’s prolonged detention and its implications for freedom of expression in the country, there is the urgent need for your intervention to address this issue once and for all by granting a pre-emptive pardon to the said Hawa Madiana Hunt.
Your Excellency, you will recall that this is not the first time that the police have levied similar charges against persons who have openly criticized your leadership.
For example, Zainab Sheriff was charged under Section 44 of the Cyber Security and Crime Act 2021 for cyber stalking and cyber bullying. However, unlike Hawa Madiana Hunt, she was granted bail and did not face prolonged detention. Her case was processed in an expeditious manner, and she was released from detention while awaiting trial.
Significant to mention also is the case of Abdul Kadiru Kaikai, a senior member of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party. Mr Kaikai was arrested by the Sierra Leone Police for an incendiary video statement he made that was circulated on social media threatening that if he does not become President in 2028, he will mastermind and bring war to Sierra Leone.
However, despite this outright threat to national security, Mr. Kaikai was later set free by the Police without any charge having retracted and apologized to the public for making such reckless incendiary video statement.
Your Excellency, in all of these matters mentioned above, you will note that they all share similar features with the case of Hawa Madiana Hunt.
But sadly to note however is the fact that our client, Hawa Madiana Hunt, has been hastily charged to court, incessantly denied bail and kept on prolonged detention for almost two month now. This act, in our opinion, is an apt display of selective justice within our criminal justice system. And such travesty needs to be nipped in the bud by his Excellency.
Permit us to also remind your Excellency that this case concerns not just a Sierra Leonean but also a Canadian citizen and it is therefore incumbent upon you to act prudently in this matter so that the state prosecutors will not jeopardize the good relationship that exists between the two sister countries. Today, Canada has been very helpful in many ways to the nation of Sierra Leone through educational and scholarship support as well as the granting of citizenship status and job opportunities to many Sierra Leoneans. Without asking Sierra Leone to surrender her sovereignty to Canada Your Excellency, it would perhaps be in our best interest to guard our relationship with Canada jealously and not wilfully destroy it over such a matter that can be better handled through diplomatic means other than criminal prosecution.
As a matter of fact Your Excellency, this case is already in the public domain and I can confirm that the Canadian consul to Sierra Leone has been following it with keen interest and utmost apprehension. Apart from Amnesty International’s press statement calling for Hawa Hunt’s release, it has even been rumored that this matter was recently broadcasted by several Media stations in Canada portraying our country in a bad light. The need therefore to take urgent steps in laying this matter to rest cannot be over -emphasized.
Your Excellency, Hawa Madiana Hunt is not only a mother of three children in Canada, but she is also an Activist, a Philanthropist, an Artist, Reality Tv Star and a Social Media Commentator. Usually, in a bid to advocate and advance the interest of humanity, activists sometimes go overboard and say things that offend state actors without necessarily intending to so do
Finally your Excellency, without appearing to downplaying the grave implications of the alleged offence that our client is being charged for, it is vital to emphasize that as a nation, and particularly under your leadership, we have agreed to no longer criminalize free speech when you took the bold and courageous step to expunge Part 5 of the Criminal Libel Law (Public Order Act of 1965) that criminalizes Libel, defamation and slander.
While we welcome these exceptional efforts by you, we equally decry the continuous arrest and detention of citizens by the police under the new Cyber Security and Crimes Act regarding their freedom of expression and right to hold critical opinions against state actors.
At the very least, where a state actor is aggrieved over the expressions and opinions of any citizen, such citizen can be effectively dealt with under the Civil Defamatory law or the IMC⁵ should the person is a member of the press. We humbly submit that there are effective remedies under the civil law to deal with such deviants.
It is no longer appropriate and convenient in a democratic society to bring criminal actions against citizens for what they say or publish against state actors.
Your Excellency, we make bold to state that the prolonged detention of Hawa Hunt will undermine all of the efforts that have been made by your government to guarantee women and girls empowerment as well as freedom of expression in the country.
Accordingly, Your Excellency, and based on all that has been stated above, we kindly appeal that you grant a pre-emptive pardon to Hawa Madiana Hunt, who is currently being kept behind bars for related cyber offences allegedly committed against you and your wife. We vow to admonish her to desist from such acts in the future.
We also appeal that you consider the physiological and traumatic conditions her children are currently facing in Canada without their mother who has spent Christmas, New Year and her Birthday in a jail in Sierra Leone.
Attached to this letter is another appeal letter that was written by Alicia Hunt, the daughter of Hawa Madiana Hunt, tendering her sincere and profound apologies to you and the First Lady over her mother’s behaviour.
While we anticipate your positive action and intervention in this matter, please accept the assurances of our highest regards.
Yours faithfully,
Rashid Dumbuya Esq
Executive Director of LEGAL LINK and Former Commissioner for Human Rights in Sierra Leone
On behalf of the legal team.
Cc:
The Office of the First Lady
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice
The Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone
The Press
Note:
The Appeal letter from Alicia Hunt, the daughter of Hawa Hunt to the President and his wife is attached to this media update.
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