Freedom in the World 2004 - Sierra Leone

Political Rights: 4
Civil Liberties: 3
Status: Partly Free
Population: 5,700,000
GNI/Capita: $140
Life Expectancy: 43
Religious Groups: Muslim (60 percent), indigenous beliefs (30 percent), Christian (10 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Temne (30 percent), Mende (30 percent), other tribes (30 percent), Creole (10 percent)
Capital: Freetown

Ratings Change
Sierra Leone's civil liberties rating improved from 4 to 3 due to improved security in the country and increased pressures to punish those guilty of war crimes.

Overview

Sierra Leone began pursuing war crimes suspects in 2003 through the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone to address abuses committed during the country's decade-long civil war. In November, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the human rights situation in Sierra Leone had improved markedly in 2003, but noted that the country still faced the challenge of punishing offenders and dealing with ongoing abuses. During the year, UN peacekeepers continue a phased withdrawal from the country.

Founded by Britain in 1787 as a haven for liberated slaves, Sierra Leone became independent in 1961. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) launched a guerrilla campaign from neighboring Liberia in 1991 to end 23 years of increasingly corrupt one-party rule by President Joseph Momoh. Power fell into the lap of Captain Valentine Strasser in 1992, when he and other junior officers attempted to confront Momoh about poor pay and working conditions at the front. Momoh fled the country. The Strasser regime hired South African soldiers from the security company Executive Outcomes to help win back key diamond-rich areas. In January 1996, Brigadier Julius Maada-Bio quietly deposed Strasser. Elections proceeded despite military and rebel intimidation, and voters elected Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, a former UN diplomat, as president.

The following year, Major Johnny Paul Koroma toppled the Kabbah government, established the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, and invited the RUF to join the junta. Nigerian-led West African troops, backed by logistical and intelligence support from the British company Sandline, restored Kabbah to power in February 1998, but the country continued to be racked by war. A peace agreement in July 1999 led to the beginning of disarmament, but the process stopped in May 2000 with a return to hostilities and the taking of about 500 peacekeepers as hostages. British troops flew in to help, and disarmament resumed in May 2001.

In the May 2002 presidential poll, in which eight candidates competed, Kabbah was reelected with 70 percent of the vote, compared with 22 percent for Ernest Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC). The RUF candidate, Alimamy Pallo Bangura, lagged with barely 2 percent of the vote. Kabbah's Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) dominated parliamentary elections the same month, winning 83 of 112 available seats, followed by the APC with 27; Koroma's party won 2 seats.

A phased withdrawal of the 17,300-strong UN Mission in Sierra Leone, the world's largest peacekeeping mission, began in October. Only 2,000 peacekeepers are expected to remain in Sierra Leone by December 2004. More than 45,000 fighters have been disarmed, but their reintegration into civilian life has been slow. Although Sierra Leone's decade-long war has ended, Kabbah still faces daunting problems, many of which contributed to causing the war. Entrenched corruption, a culture of impunity, rampant poverty, and unequal distribution of the country's diamond wealth must be adequately addressed if the country is to enjoy lasting peace.

During 2003, victims, perpetrators, and witnesses told their stories to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The special court indicted more than a dozen people, including Charles Taylor, who stepped down as president of Liberia in August and accepted Nigeria's offer of asylum. Taylor was accused of backing the former rebel RUF with weapons in exchange for diamonds.

The departure of Taylor and the growing prospect for peace in Liberia bodes well for lasting peace in Sierra Leone. However, insecurity along the borders of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote d'Ivoire is perilous for the entire region. The UN Commission for Human Rights said that there had been some progress in providing reintegration opportunities for former combatants, but that long-term reintegration could only be achieved through revival of the economy.

Sierra Leone has vast diamond resources, but smuggling and war have turned it into one of the world's poorest countries. A ban on rough-diamond imports from Sierra Leone does not include diamonds that carry proven certificates of origin from the government. Although the country's annual diamond production is valued at $200 million to $400 million per year, recorded shipments were worth a little more than $40 million in 2002 because of smuggling.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Citizens of Sierra Leone can change their government democratically. Presidential and legislative elections in February and March 1996 were imperfect, but were considered legitimate. Politicians, former combatants, and civil society representatives joined together in a conference in 2001 and approved a new electoral system for polls scheduled for the following year. Despite some logistical problems, the May 2002 presidential and parliamentary elections were considered the country's fairest since independence. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and his SLPP enjoyed the advantage of incumbency and state resources for both elections. Dozens of political parties have been formed, but many revolve around a specific personality and have little following.

Freedom of speech and of the press is guaranteed, but the government at times restricts these rights. Criminal libel laws are used occasionally to jail journalists. Several government and private radio and television stations broadcast, and newspapers openly criticize the government and armed factions. Dozens of newspapers are printed in Freetown, but most are of poor quality and often carry sensational or undocumented stories. The parastatal Sierratel communications company exercised a monopoly over land-line access to the Internet, although access was not officially impeded.

Freedom of religion is guaranteed and respected in practice. Academic freedom is guaranteed.

The rights of freedom of assembly and association are guaranteed, and these rights are generally respected. Several nongovernmental organizations and civic groups, including human rights groups, operate openly and freely. Workers have the right to join independent trade unions of their choice. About 60 percent of workers in urban areas, including government employees, are unionized. There is a legal framework for collective bargaining.

The judiciary is active, but corruption and a lack of resources are impediments. Despite these obstacles, the judiciary has demonstrated independence, and a number of trials have been free and fair. Local courts resumed sitting in all districts of the country in 2003. There are often lengthy pretrial detentions in harsh conditions. Eight judges – from Sierra Leone, Canada, Austria, The Gambia, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria – were appointed to sit on the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. Among those indicted for war crimes in 2003 included former RUF leader Foday Sankoh, who died while in detention. RUF commander Sam Bockarie, who was also indicted, was killed in Liberia.

Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, modeled on South Africa's truth commission, was expected to hear testimony from some 700 perpetrators of human rights abuses, victims, and witnesses. The aim of the commission, which has collected about 6,000 written statements, is to create an impartial historical record of violations and abuses, address impunity and the needs of victims, and promote healing and reconciliation.

Sierra Leone once had one of Africa's worst human rights records. Abduction, maiming, rape, forced conscription, and extrajudicial killing were commonplace. Although security has improved considerably, lack of equipment for security forces and poor infrastructure could hinder longer-term efforts to keep a lid on unrest in Sierra Leone, especially if demobilized combatants lack opportunities for employment. A number of national and international nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups operate openly in Freetown.

Despite constitutionally guaranteed equal rights, women face extensive legal and de facto discrimination, as well as limited access to education and formal (business) sector jobs. Married women have fewer property rights than men, especially in rural areas where customary law prevails. Abuse of women, including rape, sexual assault, and sexual slavery, were rampant during the war. Female genital mutilation is widespread.