The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone has condemned the “persistent use of indecent, obscene and provocative songs and slogans” it says are being chanted by members and supporters of the country's two main political parties – the ruling All People's Congress (APC) and the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)”. The warning comes a day after the APC held a huge rally across Freetown.
In a press release signed by the Ag Chairman, Jamesina King, the commission says the songs are mostly directed at the presidential candidates, their running-mates whose parents and ethnic groups are not spared. It says the chants have become rampant during political rallies, “with complete disregard for the PPRC Code of Conduct and 2012 Election Declaration, and the HRCSL Elections Conference Resolutions, which political parties committed themselves to, as well
as other rules and regulations relating to elections”.
The Commission has also condemned “the use of children...and the indiscriminate use of illicit drugs and alcohol” at political rallies, saying it exposes children to drugs, alcohol and gangsterism as well as breeds hostility and generates violence, thereby destroying the country's peace and quiet.
The commission urges political leaders of especially the APC and SLPP “to encourage their members to refrain from such practices”.
