Calls for release of Sierra Leonean singer jailed in crackdown on free speech'

"Zainab Sheriff, a singer and reality-TV show contestant who became a political opposition figure, was sentenced in April to four years and two months' imprisonment for incitement and using threatening language. Sheriff's charges stem from a speech she made in January, a video recording of which was played at the trial. According to prosecutors, Sheriff made statements during a rally saying that anyone who rigged an election had stolen the people's vote, committed treason and they and their families should be killed."

"A lot of us feel this isn't about Sheriff's words, said Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of the capital, Freetown, and a member of the All People's Congress opposition party. This is about Sheriff being used as a very, very visible, high-profile example of what you must not do in this society now. You must not speak your mind or you can be charged and end up in jail. This is about ensuring that people are scared, she said."

"Arrested on 20 February, Sheriff pleaded not guilty. She was repeatedly denied bail and was sentenced on 14 April. She is being held in a maximum-security prison in Freetown. Willietta Hughes, legal manager for AdvocAid, a civil society organisation working with girls and women in Sierra Leone, supported Sheriff's case. She said the court proceedings were at times reminiscent of a show trial and called the sentence ridiculous."

"During the last election in Sierra Leone in 2023, organisations including the Carter Center, a US election monitoring group, expressed concern about the transparency of the tabulation process. I am disappointed [in the sentence]. And that's an understatement. The bottom line is, we've heard far worse."

Zainab Sheriff, a singer and reality-TV contestant who became a political opposition figure, was sentenced in April to four years and two months in prison for incitement and using threatening language. The charges followed a January speech, with a video of the rally played at trial. Prosecutors said she told supporters that anyone who rigged an election had stolen the people’s vote, committed treason, and that she and their families should be killed. Lawyers, politicians, and activists called for her release, arguing the imprisonment was unjust and part of a broader crackdown on free speech and dissent. Bail was repeatedly denied, and she is held in a maximum-security prison in Freetown. Legal advocates criticized the proceedings as resembling a show trial and said the sentence was excessive.

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