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Media Watch

Address at the 19th Annual General Meeting of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists by its president, Umaru Fofana. held in Bo, on 27 April 2012

Reducing the high cost of justice in Salone

By Ibrahim Tommy

“I have been charged with manslaughter and other serious offences, but I do not have money to pay for the services of a lawyer. So, I have been remanded at the Pademba Road Prison for nearly two years now,” an accused told a team of Court Monitors from the Centre of Accountability and Rule of Law  a few years ago.

His case is not unique: it sums up the experience of many who come in conflict with the law, particularly those facing criminal charges. Help may be on the way for such people, but it’s coming at a rather slow pace.

In Their own words

We are introducing a new column in our newspaper called IN THEIR OWN WORDS. It takes stock of how public officials, and those aspiring to so become, prevaricate, contradict, fluff and sometimes lie blatantly on issues they must be honest and consistent about. Here we go: 

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