By: Amadu Wurie Timbo
A joint action with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa-(IHRDA), eight (8) neglected victims of the 2020 Generator Saga in Makeni have dragged the Sierra Leone Government to the Economic Community of West Africa-(ECOWAS) court of Justices demanding accountability.
Filed on Tuesday, 9th August, 2022 by the Council of the Plaintiffs, IHRDA, the suit disclosed that; in July 2020, Sierra Leone Minister of Energy decided to relocate an electricity generating power plant from Makeni in the northern part of Sierra Leone, to the Lungi International Airport in Freetown. In a bid to stop the transfer, fearing it would jeopardiseelectricity supply in Makeni, hundreds of people took to the streets and set up barricades. In response, police officers opened fire on protesters and persons thought to be protesters. This led to the death of six-(6) persons and caused severe injuries to others.
“Due to lack of effective investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators, Sierra Leone has violated the victims’ right to remedy and access to justice, and has failed in its obligations to protect the victims from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as guaranteeing their rights to life and personal security. These are rights and obligations enshrined in several treaties to which Sierra Leone is party,notably the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and other forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatments.” The suit further alleged.
On that backdrop, the plaintiffs has requested the ECOWAS Court to declare Sierra Leone responsible for the alleged inhuman rights violations, and for the court to order Sierra Leone to conduct an effective investigation and prosecute perpetrators, as well as pay the victims monetary compensation for damages suffered amongst other measures to prevent disproportionate use of force in responding to protest.
Oludayo Fagbemi, IHRDA Senior Legal Officer revealed that,citizens who took to the streets were simply exercising their right to protest. Believing that, the Police could have used other lawful means to control the protest. However hopeful that, justice would be rendered and the perpetrators would be punished. To him, this would help the Plaintiffs to heal from the pain.
From records, about 48 months gone since the alleged police shooting during a day-long public protest in Makeni, North-Eastern Sierra Leone was commenced, Gunshot surviving victims and relatives of deceased whose autopsy results from Freetown mortuary discovered died of bullets claimed to have been neglected by the Government of Sierra Leone.
Speaking to this medium, victims disclosed that, Government which has the legal mandate to address citizens’ affairs could not come to their aid since they were harmed by armed Government law officers. To them, the six lives lost and other major damages caused by the illegal act caused by the police would never be recovered again, but see the need to collaborate with the Africa Union Human Rights Prize Recipient, IHRDA to sue the Government of Sierra Leone at the ECOWAS court for accountability to prevent similar action of state violence in the country.
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