Sierra Leone libel law 'affecting media, music industry'

Bio was speaking at a meeting with members of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) on 21 May at the State House in Freetown. Bio said he would work on repealing certain laws that had been used to intimidate members of the press in older political dispensations.

The news of the possible repeal was met with some scepticism, as Sierra Leone’s previous administration also made public its plan to withdraw the country’s libel laws.

Bio said the 1965 Criminal Libel Act criminalised free speech, undermined creativity in the arts and stifled journalism.

He reiterated his party’s 2018 New Direction Manifesto, which says: “Low private investment in music and the performing arts is due to a combination of factors, including the weak policy and legal environment, particularly the seditious libel law.”

Speaking about the function of the media, Bio said: “The media is an important component of society that plays a critical role in the democratic process, especially in deepening transparency and accountability in public institutions. 

"We are committed to providing annual subvention to the SLAJ as promised, and open up possibilities of a sustained dialogue with relevant authorities on ways to ensure respect for privacy of people and minimise malicious attacks by some sections of the media.”

Bio said the trouble with repealing the law was the fear of unfair treatment by the media. “But this concern is the only snag and we should be able to handle that by ensuring that everybody is covered and people’s hard earned reputations are protected," he said.

“It’s good now that we have somewhere to start and we are not starting all over again. We’ll also look seriously at the Independent Media Commission [IMC] and the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation [SLBC].

"This is the dawn of a new era. We should turn a new page, look at the issues and be proactive in dealing with the challenges facing these bodies.”

SLAJ president Kelvin Lewis thanked Bio and said the SLAJ was determined to work with the government to abolish the libel law.

“The media plays an important and critical part in the democratic process, so we need this kind of dialogue with you. We should work together for you to have the latitude and freedom to do what you are supposed to do,” Bio said.

He also presented a draft of the efforts made so far in the process of repealing the criminal libel law and strengthening of the IMC and SLBC.