The Vice President of Sierra Leone Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has on Thursday December 10, 2020 said that Sierra Leoneans across the country deserve equal opportunity and access to State resources.
He also emphasized that the Government of Sierra Leone is committed to enhancing national cohesion and peace. He made these remarks as Guest Speaker on the observance of the International Human Rights Day in the hall of Parliament, Tower Hill in Freetown.
The Vice President informed the audience that Government is on the verge of establishing the National Commission for Peace to better enhance equitable distribution of State resources and national cohesion.
Dr. Jalloh informed the people that the Government of Sierra Leone is aware of numerous human rights challenges in the country, but maintained that it is making continuous effort to address some of the challenges; to build human rights structures in the country in particular.
Vice President Jalloh further informed the participants about the bold steps taken by the New Direction Government to address some of the key challenges which have spanned for decades. According to Jalloh the challenges ranged from civil, political, economic and socio-cultural rights.
The Honourable Vice President highlighted the recent removal of the seditious libel law called Part Five of the 1965 Public Order Act as one of the steps taken to salvage human rights challenges in Sierra Leone. He described the repealed law as one which criminalized free speech and hindered the uninhibited practice of journalism in Sierra Leone.
The Vice President disclosed to the audience the decision taken by the new Attorney General and Minister of Justice to discontinue all matters that were in court relating to the over forty-five year criminal libel law, and also stated that the removal of the Seditious Law and the subsequent discharge of the libel cases from court shows Government commitment to freedom of expression and the press as enshrined in Section 25 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Vice President Jalloh revealed that, another step taken by the Government of Sierra Leone to address human rights challenges was the appointment of eight Judges to serve in the High, Appeal, and Supreme Courts, thirty-one State Counsels, and the implementation of a programme called Prison Core Section by the Judiciary. The Prison Core programme is meant to decongest correctional centres in Freetown, regional cities and Moyamba district, the Vice President said. He told the audience about the adjudication of eight hundred backlog cases in the towns named. He assured of Government commitment to supporting the promotion of human rights in Sierra Leone.
By: Aaron Bundu Lahai-Head of Media & Public Relations
14/12/2020. ISSUE NO: 7966