By Tejay Mans
The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), a pan-African non-governmental organization (NGO) working to promote awareness of human rights in Africa and improve the effectiveness of the African Human Rights system has maintained that the 2020 public protest in the Northern City of Makeni, Sierra Leone was a violation of the protesters right to peaceful assembly and life.
This position was made clear by Oludayo Fagbemi, Senior Legal Officer IHRDA on a reflection on the incident.
Sad memories of the fatal incident still lingers and a case study is that of 38-year-old, Freelance Agent Ibrahim Turay, who was forced into hiding over fear of his safety following the violent protest that claimed lives, destroyed properties and saw the arrest and detention of many people.
It could be recalled that in July, 2020 public protest in Makeni over the relocation of an electricity transformer from Makeni to Lungi International Airport sparked unrest.
Ibrahim’s father, Abdul Raham Turay was a staff of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), the national energy utility company, on the day of the protest was at the right place at the wrong time.
Ibrahim used to visit his father at his office regularly, but on that given day, it turned out to be very unfortunate for him.
In a bid stop the transfer of the transformer, fearing that it will jeopardize electricity supply in Makeni, hundreds of people took to the streets holding placards, set up barricades, burning tyres and chanting anti-government slogans.
This did not bode well for the government and the police were brought in to quell the situation.
In response, Sierra Leone Police Officers opened live rounds on the protesters and persons thought to be protesters.
This led to the death of six people and caused several injuries and countless raids, arrest, detention and prosecutions.
On the aftermath of the incident, the Police accused the civilian protesters of being responsible for the unrest putting Ibrahim and his family in between the good, bad and ugly.
The Police immediately issued a public arrest warrant for all those that were alleged to be part of the protest.
Ibrahim, who happened to be visiting his father, was accused of being involved in the protest, accused of rioteous conduct, malicious damage of public property and particating in an unlawful protest.
Ibrahim and others have been declared wanted for a crime that he says he knows nothing about.
It is against this backdrop that IHRDA in August, 2022 filed a law suit against the government of Sierra Leone at the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), alleging that due to lack of effective investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, Sierra Leone violated the victims right to remedy and access to justice and has failed in its obligation to protect the victims from torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, as well as guaranteeing their right to life and personal security.
It is against these documented blatant violations of rights and obligations and the feeling of constant fear, Ibrahim took to his heels on a French leave saying that his rights as guaranteed in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against torture and other forms of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment is under threat.
“Despite the fact that the Police used disproportionate force against the protesters, yet still they have been targeted with accusation of being responsible for the innocent killing of protesters by the Police. The Police have deliberately incriminated whosoever that was around the scene in a bid to absolve themselves of the human rights crimes that they committed. As for me, I find myself in a tricky situation because my dad works for the company and based on his ethno-regional background, he has been called a saboteaur against the government arrested and detained” Ibrahim reportedly said.
He unequivocally said that his life and that of his mother and sisters are in danger ever since the incident and some of his relatives were arrested and others detained for prolonged periods under hash conditions. The whereabouts of his father, mother and sisters is unknown at the moment.
“One of my colleague could not survive after he was mercilessly beaten to forcefully extract a confession from him for a crime that he did not commit,” one Eyewitness, who asked for anonymity told this medium.
Oludayo Fagbemi, Senior Legal Officer IHRDA argued that:
“Inhabitants of Makeni who took to the street were simply exercising their right to protest.
We believed that the Police could have used other lawful means to control the protest…
Through this lawsuit, we hope that justice would be rendered and the papitrators punished. This will help the plaintiffs heal from the pain.”
Ibrahim’s predicament has forced him to abandon his source of livelihood which he used to take care of the needs of his family but all that has been blown away.
A friend of Ibrahim vehemently denied that he was not involved in the protest and was only at the right place at the wrong time.
There are mounting concerns about the whereabout and safety of the life of Ibrahim ever since he disappeared.
“Perhaps he has been killed or kept in a secret detention cell,” a concerned citizen anticipated.
Recently, the government granted amnesty and pardon to some 37 inmates who were described as political prisoners but sadly, Ibrahim Turay’s name or his relatives was not considered because he has no political connections or affinity to the current regime in Freetown.
