One-Year Ban: APPN Warns ‘Justice Delayed’ As Sierra Leone Parliament Keeps Journalist In Limbo
In an era when democratic institutions are judged as much by process as by power, silence can sometimes speak louder than sanctions.
The African Parliamentary Press Network (APPN) has renewed its call for a swift, time-bound resolution to the year-long ban imposed on a parliamentary journalist in Sierra Leone, warning that prolonged uncertainty threatens press freedom and public accountability.
In a statement dated January 14, 2026, APPN recalled that it first raised concerns in February 2025, insisting that while Parliament has the right to regulate access to its precincts, any restriction on a journalist must be fair, proportionate, and concluded within a reasonable timeframe.
The network cautioned that the unresolved case now risks creating a chilling effect on parliamentary reporting, discouraging critical but responsible journalism, and weakening citizens’ access to transparent legislative processes.
APPN urged Sierra Leone’s parliamentary authorities to bring the matter to a prompt and reasoned conclusion, communicate the outcome clearly, and reinforce confidence in due process and transparency.
It stressed that in democratic systems, accountability derives not only from authority but from clarity and timeliness, adding that “justice delayed, particularly in matters affecting public-interest journalism, risks becoming justice denied.”
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