By Albert David
In a nation that claims to uphold constitutionalism, the rule of law, and democratic governance, the continued persecution of journalist Emmanuel Alpha Thorli, publisher of the Night-Watch Newspaper, stands as one of the most troubling indictments of Sierra Leone’s institutional decay. His ordeal is not merely a personal tragedy, it is a national disgrace, a civic betrayal, and a chilling demonstration of how far state institutions can fall when truth becomes an enemy.
For years, Emmanuel has been among the few journalists who refuse to be silenced by intimidation, bribery and co-option, or political pressure. His reporting has exposed some of the most sensitive and consequential issues confronting the country. From excessive government lavished spending and corruption, to suppression of press freedom, to deliberately shrinking civic space, from political oppression and electoral malpractices, to political interferences into private sector affairs, from state complicity in the international narcotics trafficking, to the protection of Europe’s most high-profile drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers alias Omar Sheriff, from economic mismanagement, to the deepening capture of state institutions.
These are not trivial matters. They are the very issues that determine whether a nation is governed by law or by fear.
And for this work, constitutionally protected, ethically necessary, and democratically indispensable, Emmanuel Thorli has repeatedly been targeted, arrested, and incarcerated.
His latest arrest in November is perhaps the most disturbing yet. He was accused of “wounding with intent” and “assault on police”, charges that many observers, civil society and the general population describe as fabricated, reconstructed, and riddled with contradictions.
Police officers openly testified that they acted on “orders from above”, a phrase that has become synonymous with political interference in law enforcement. Their testimonies were inconsistent, poorly constructed, and at most embarrassing, exposing a troubling willingness to weaponize the criminal justice system against a journalist.
Yet the judicial handling of the matter revealed something even more alarming.
In a baffling contradiction, the magistrate Brima Jah granted Emmanuel bail on the more serious charge of “wounding with intent” but refused put refused to grant him bail on the lesser charge of assault, despite both charges being widely viewed as questionable, fabricated and concocted.
This inconsistency raises profound concerns about judicial independence, procedural fairness, and adherence to ethical codes that require impartiality and protection from external influence.
What followed confirmed the worst fears of those who still believe in the sanctity of the justice system.
Journalists and lawyers who met with the Inspector General of Police revealed that the IG William Fayia Sellu, repeatedly expressed personal grievances about Emmanuel’s publications. Instead of discussing evidence or legal principles, he redirected them to the Chief Justice Komba Kamanda, who expressed similar dissatisfaction, particularly with the fact that Night-Watch Newspaper continued publishing while its editor was in detention.
After several meetings and prolonged negotiations, the Chief Justice and the Inspector General ordered the magistrate,
Mustapha Brima Jah to grant bail to Emmanuel after a month long unjust incarceration, but only under conditions that strike at the heart of press freedom.
(a) The case must not be published.
(b) Emmanuel must not publish anything deemed critical of the government.
(c) Any violation would result in immediate re-arrest and imprisonment.
The head of the judiciary Chief Justice Komba Kamanda went further, warning that any newspaper publishing details of Emmanuel’s trial would be banned, fined, and its owners jailed. This is not judicial discretion. This is not rule of law.
This is censorship, intimidation, and institutional coercion.
These actions represent a profound violation of constitutional guarantees of press freedom, judicial ethics, police professional codes, international human rights standards, and the basic principles of democratic governance.
They reveal a system where personal grievances of powerful individuals override legal processes, where institutions meant to protect citizens instead police dissent, and where truth is treated as a threat rather than a public good.
The attempt to silence Emmanuel is not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader pattern of shrinking civic space, where journalists, activists, and critics face oppressive harassment, arrests, incarceration and threats for performing roles essential to national accountability.
When a state fears journalism, it is not journalism that is the problem.
It is governance.
When police act on “orders from above,” it is not the journalist who threatens national security. It is the erosion of institutional independence. When courts issue gag orders to protect political interests, it is not the newspaper that endangers democracy.
It is the judiciary itself.
Sierra Leone stands at a dangerous crossroads. It can continue down a path where, truth is criminalized, journalists are hunted, courts are manipulated, police act as political enforcers, and the constitution is treated as a ceremonial document.
Or it can reclaim the principles that countless citizens have fought for.
Freedom, justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
The persecution of Emmanuel Alpha Thorli of Night-Watch Newspaper is not just an attack on one journalist. It is an attack on the very idea of a free society.
History has never been kind to nations that silence their truth-tellers.
