Dr Julius Spencer
The Managing Editor of Premier Media Consultancy, Dr Julius Spencer and the editor of his Premier News newspaper, Alusine Sesay were yesterday called in by the police Criminal Investigations Department over an article published in the newspaper last week which police deem criminally libellous.
The former Minister of Information told Politico that plain-clothed police officers went to his office and searched the office of his editor, seized a desktop computer and invited him for questioning.
The offending article borders on the ongoing saga between some of the country's internet service providers and the Ministry of Information. Dr Spencer said their story carried allegations by the ISPs and the reaction of the ministry.
Both men were later released on bail and are to report today at the CID headquarters.
This followed the raid on the offices of the Independent Observer Newspaper on Friday after it also carried a story in the same regard. The paper's computers were also seized and a reporter taken along. He was later released.
The manging editor of the Independent Observer, Jonathan Leigh had to report at the CID headquarters yesterday for questioning.
In a press release signed by its Secretary General Moses Kargbo, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists has expressed deep concern over "the increasing use of the Police and the Courts by government ministers to harass journalists". In a press release issued yesterday, SLAJ catalogues recent arrests of journalists at the behest of government ministers and cites the case between Political Affairs Minister Kemoh Sesay and journalist Labor Fofanah of The Voice newspaper and the initial refusal of bail to the journalist by the magistrate.
The case of Transport and Aviation Minister Leonard Balogun Koroma and Journalist David Tam-Baryoh over an SMS text message and the latest cases were also cited.
"SLAJ is particularly troubled by the complete disregard by government ministers for State institutions, in this case the Independent Media Commission (IMC)" the release says, with the SLAJ President Kelvin Lewis quoted as asking: “When government ministers have no regard for State institutions, how can they expect the public to respect these institutions and by extension the offices they themselves hold?”
The association also "notes the unprofessional manner in which the Police are allowing themselves to be used by politicians to harass journalists unjustly along with the frivolous use of the seditious libel laws. The Police should know that such actions reduce their estimation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the general public."
(C) Politico 15/01/14
