President Koroma
By Bampia James Bundu
Sierra Leone’s Human Rights Commission has confirmed claims that President Ernest Bai Koroma has refused to see them since August 2013 when they last submitted to him the state of human rights report for 2012.
Deputy chairperson of the commission, Jamestina King, told Politicoat their Tower Hill offices in Freetown that despite several attempts and correspondences to meet the president on very important issues, they had had no replies indicating his willingness to see them.
President Koroma had cause to summon state functionaries to discuss the recommendations contained in the report in a particular year.
“The commission has made several recommendations to the government but up till date most of them have not been implemented. We are looking for an opportunity to meet the president in order to seek for political will for the implementation of those recommendations” she said, adding that since they started publishing the state of human rights in the country, as mandated by law, they had always presented such a report to the president.
“We have completed the Bumbuna enquiries, investigated the OCTEA mining fracas and had submitted recommendations to the relevant government authorities, including the attorney general and minister of justice for actions but nothing seems to be happening”, Madam King said.
She, however, called on the relevant authorities concerned to accord them,as a commission, the opportunity to see the president and discuss pertinent issues regarding human rights violations in the country.
Commissioner King noted that even though they were faced with numerous challenges in running the commission, they would continue to do their best by ensuring that they lived up to the expectations of society.
“A meeting with the president will help with the political will to implement some of our recommendations by government”, she said.
The HRCSL was created by an Act of Parliament in 2004 to promote and protect human rights in the country and to take the lead role in building a culture of human rights, which maintains human dignity for all in Sierra Leone in full compliance with the Constitution, laws, international and regional instruments through effective partnership and collaboration.
(C) Politico 03/04/14
