AWE Media Sierra Leone

SIERRA LEONE GOVERNMENT MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS 8TH FLOOR, YOUYI BUILDING, FREETOWN PRESS STATEMENT RE: ALLEGED BEATING OF JOURNALISTS The attention of Government has been drawn to Press Statements issued by the Sports Writers Association (SWASAL), Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) and Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) on allegations levied against security personnel attached to the President during the Sierra Leone – Liberia football encounter on Sunday September 8, 2019. Government has taken note of the concerns and the content of the press releases issued by the aforementioned bodies. Government through the Ministry of Information and Communications will constitute a committee including SLAJ, WIMSAL and SWASAL to further investigate these allegations and appropriate measures will be taken against anyone found culpable. We therefore call on all the aggrieved parties and victims to exercise restraint as the Ministry of Information an...

The Sierra Leone Reporters Union Press Release Freetown, 9 September, 2019 -The Sierra Leone Reporters Union (SLRU) is gravely disturbed and dissappointed over the physical attack and assault on two of our colleague  journalists, Francess Bernard and Esther Marie Samura, both working for the state broadcaster, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), who were manhandled by close protection guards of the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio at the Siaka Stevens Stadium, Freetown. The incident occurred whilst doing their job peacefully during the  Sierra Leone Vs Liberia  second leg 2022 Qatar World Cup preliminary qualifiers encounter on Sunday, 8 September. As we outrightly condemn the physical assaults on our colleague journalists, who also lost valuable personal effects, we call on the Government to ensure swift investigating of that unfortunate incident; and the accused security guards held to account. We also wish to draw the atten...

Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) PRESS RELEASE SLAJ Condemns Presidential Guards Beating and Threatening to Kill Female Journalists The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has received with shock and dismay complaints from two female journalists Francess Bernard and Esther Marie Samura, who were severely beaten up and threatened to be killed by Presidential bodyguards during the FIFA World Cup 2022 preliminary return-leg match between Leone Stars and Lone Star of Liberia at the National Stadium on Sunday, 8th September, 2019. The two female sports journalists, who work for the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC)* were reportedly in the commentary booth at the far end of the Presidential stand doing their work when the said bodyguards ordered them and their colleagues to vacate the booth 'as they posed a security threat to the President'. Esther, who reportedly approached the Deputy Minister of Sports, Kai Lawrence Mbayo, to come to their r...

Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone Press Statement SWASAL condemns attack on Sports Journalists by some Presidential Guards The Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone(SWASAL) is saddened by the unfortunate behavior put up by Sweet and Kposowa, close protection bodyguards to President Julius Maada Bio. These two bodyguards unvitedly and in a very aggressive manner, abused two SLBC female journalists by storming the commentary booth at the Siaka Stevens Stadium during the Leone Stars Vs Lone Stars return leg encounter. These guards, did not only beat up these journalists, but  abused them and took away the phone one of them was using to run her commentary. Both Francess Barnard and Esther Marie Samura of the SLBC were seriously beaten and manhandled including Alimmamy Kamara a freelance Sports Journalist. Esther Marie Samura's cell phone was seized by one of the security guards in mufti while Alimamy Kamara also lost his phone. The Sports Writers Association of Si...