Editor arrested for comparing Sierra Leone president to a rat

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/25/press-freedom-sierraleone

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Sierra Leone police have arrested an editor and a journalist after their newspaper published an article comparing the country's president, Ernest Bai Koroma, to a rat.

Jonathan Leigh, who edits the Independent Observer, was detained with a member of his staff, Bai Bai Sesay, for an alleged breach of the public order act by committing seditious libel. Neither have yet been charged.

Leigh's editorial, about supposed friction between Koroma and his vice-president, Sam Sumana, said Koroma "is regarded as an elephant, but he behaves like a rat and should be treated like one."

Ibrahim Koroma (no relation), head of Sierra Leone's criminal investigations department, said of Leigh: "He is bringing the name of President Koroma and the whole cabinet into disrepute."

Koroma, a former insurance executive, was elected as president in 2007. During his tenure, Sierra Leone has been tolerant of negative press coverage and placed few restrictions on media.

However, Koroma's executive assistant, Sylvia Blyden, warned media outlets earlier this year to "prepare for a massive and long overdue sanitisation". She is the publisher of a pro-government newspaper.

Kelvin Lewis, president of the Sierra Leone association of journalists, said: "The government prided itself saying it has a near-perfect human rights record. But that seems to be no longer the case."

<em>Sources:</em> Reuters/AP via Washington Post

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