Guild of Newspaper Editors-SL Urges Government To Stop Criminalizing Journalism
The Guild of Newspaper Editors in Sierra Leone (GoN-SL) has issued a strong a press release, calling out the government for โmisusing the Cybersecurity and Crime Act 2021 to harass journalists and suppress free speechโ.
The Guild’s statement comes in response to the recent interrogation of its own Chairman, Thomas Dixon, who is also the Managing Editor of the New Age Newspaper. Dixon was summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and questioned for eight hours over a news alert he published. He reported being threatened with detention during the interrogation.
According to the Guild, the news alert in question does not fall under the scope of the country’s cyber laws. The group described the police’s actions as a “clear affront to press freedom” and a violation of constitutional and international human rights protections.
The organization also pointed out another incident involving a senior journalist at Standard Times, Sahr Matturi, who was arrested by the CID on allegations of cyberbullying and cyberstalking. The Guild views both cases as a pattern of arbitrary arrests designed to stifle critical journalistic voices.
Expressing his concern, Guild Chairman Thomas Dixon stated, โI am worried about the future of journalism. The way the police are misusing this law feels like a return to the dreaded Public Order Act of 1965 that criminalized speech. Today it is me, but tomorrow it could be another journalist.โ
The Guild emphasized that existing bodies like the Independent Media Commission (IMC) and civil libel laws are the proper channels for addressing any grievances against journalists, not criminal cyber charges.
The situation escalated further when, during Dixon’s interrogation, threats were also made against the online operations of the Gleaner Newspaper, deepening fears that the law is being weaponized to silence independent media.
The Guild has urged the government to stop use the cyber law to criminalize journalism and demand that the police should respect press freedom and other constitutional rights. It also appealed to the international community and civil society groups to stand in solidarity with the nation’s press.
Despite the complaints, Guild has pledged to always defend the freedom of press and rule of law, adding that it would resist any attempt to retrogress the progress made since the repeal of criminal libel laws.
The press release was signed by Ishmail Saidu Kanu, Esq., Secretary General of the Guild.
