The Court of Appeal –

A path to consolidation, convalescence and recovery!

- Reginald Sydney Fynn JA

Some two years ago, Ms. Saptieu Elizabeth Saccoh was appointed the Administrator and Registrar General (ARG) in charge of the registration of all legal documents such as conveyances, leases, mortgages, agreements of myriad sorts etc., administration of estates of those who die without any provision of a testamentary disposition on how to distribute their estate and last but not least serving as Secretary to the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC).

HOW DOES A STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY AFFECT YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS? A REPLY TO ALIMAMY SULTAN KOROMA.

By Emmanuel Tondoneh*

“The impression that during a state of public emergency individual rights and freedoms are utterly subverted must not be allowed to hold sway: fundamental rights and freedoms are only interfered with in accordance with the law and only to the extent and in the manner provided by law. It is the judiciary that ultimately makes this call and no other person or authority”1.

Dr Abdulai Conteh

HOW DOES A STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY AFFECT YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS? A REPLY TO ALIMAMY SULTAN KOROMA.

By Emmanuel Tondoneh*

“The impression that during a state of public emergency individual rights and freedoms are utterly subverted must not be allowed to hold sway: fundamental rights and freedoms are only interfered with in accordance with the law and only to the extent and in the manner provided by law. It is the judiciary that ultimately makes this call and no other person or authority”1.

Dr Abdulai Conteh

HOW DOES A STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY AFFECT YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS?

Sierra Leone made history on 24th March 2020; it became the only country in the world to declare a 12- month state of public emergency  to contain the corona virus pandemic. No other country has imposed such a long period of a state of emergency to contain the virus.  So, what does this mean for the enjoyment of your human rights?

A Tenant’s Right to Quiet Enjoyment

28/09/2019

Imagine you have just rented a three-bedroom apartment in the heart of Freetown. Shortly after moving in, you invite your friend to the house. As he enters the compound however, he sees your landlord and greets him politely. Instead of responding, your landlord shouts that he does not want to see all types of visitors in his property. If it were you, what would you do?

A widow’s entitlement to the property of her late husband

25th October 2019

In 2018, two weeks after her husband of 25 years had been buried, Mariatu was summoned to a meeting by her in-laws. “The family has agreed that your husband’s younger brother would take you as his fifth wife. He will be in charge of your 3 children and his brother’s property. You cannot refuse or else you have to leave the home empty-handed. This is our custom.” Said Mr. Kabbah, one of her in-laws.

Ten years today—31st October 2009, I was certified by the then Hon. Chief Justice as having successfully passed the Bar Final Examinations. But four years before that, I was a drop-out from Fourah Bay College. I was in year two (sophomore), writing the now Justice Miatta Samba’s First Semester Contract Law exams when I was whisked out of the examinations hall, like a common criminal, for failing to pay my college tuition fees.

Across the world, attitudes towards the mentally ill are changing. There is a growing understanding that mental health problems are no different from other illnesses, and can be cured if approached with care, empathy, and dignity. Unfortunately, Sierra Leone seems oblivious to these changes and remains one of the worst countries for people with a mental disorder. Unfounded cultural beliefs, lack of resources and archaic laws continue to fuel stigma against the mentally ill, resulting in gross human rights violations.

By Alpha Sesay

I recently spoke at a Harvard Law School panel about the work of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). The panel followed a screening of Rebecca Richman Cohen’s very powerful documentary on the work of the SCSL “War Don Don.” I had a pleasure of sharing the panel with Rebecca herslelf along with other notable Harvard faculty. In speaking on the Court’s legacy, I had cause to reflect on a recent piece by prolific writer Osman Benk Sankoh on the embarrassing state of the former SCSL courthouse—now in a state of dilapidation.