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| Liberians pray for the end of Ebola during a mass prayer meeting outside Monrovia on 31 October. Photograph: Ahmed Jallanzo/EPA |
Baryoh,
host of the popular weekly "Monologue" radio program aired on the
independent Citizen FM, was arrested in his office by police who did not have a
warrant, according to news reports
and local journalists.
Baryoh
was initially detained overnight at the Police Criminal Investigation
headquarters in the capital, Freetown, where he met briefly with his lawyer,
local journalists told CPJ. He was not allowed to see his wife.
Local
journalists said they believed Baryoh's arrest to be in connection with the
November 1 "Monologue" show, which was taken off the air during its
live broadcast, Kelvin Lewis, president of Sierra Leone's Association of
Journalists, told CPJ. In that show, Baryoh interviewed an opposition party
spokesman who criticized Koroma and his government's handling of the Ebola
outbreak, local journalists said.
Baryoh
and the party spokesman also criticized Koroma's intention to run for a third
term in office, according to news reports. During the program, Baryoh also interviewed
Vice-President Samuel Sam-Sumana, whose relationship with Koroma has soured,
according to local press reports.
Lewis
told CPJ that he met Baryoh at the police station, where the journalist told
him the police had showed him an executive detention order signed by President
Ernest Bai Koroma, which accused him of incitement.
While Baryoh was at the
station, a doctor diagnosed him with high blood pressure and recommended
hospitalization, Lewis said. However, police, citing emergency powers given to President Koroma, remanded
Baryoh to the Bamenda Maximum Security Prison. No official charges have been
filed against him.
Under
the current state of emergency in Sierra Leone, intended to restrict spreading
of the Ebola virus, the president has wide-ranging powers, including the arrest
of any person without a court order, Lewis told CPJ.
BBC
correspondent Umaru Fofana who visited Baryoh in prison wrote on Facebook that
the journalist was "struggling to stand upright as he repeatedly bent down
and held his knees."
"Sierra
Leone's genuine state of emergency means that critical thinking and public
debate are more important than ever. Locking away journalists without charge
helps nobody," said Peter Nkanga, CPJ's West Africa representative.
"We call on President Ernest Bai Koroma to ensure that David Tam Baryoh is
released immediately and that journalists are allowed to do their jobs
freely."
Osho
Coker, Secretary to the President, declined to comment to CPJ. Information
Minister Alpha Kanu did not reply to CPJ's calls or a text message.
Baryoh
has been targeted by government officials in the past. In January, he was arrested and accused of seditious libel, according to news
reports. In May, "Monologue" was banned for two months following a
government directive, according to news reports.
Source: www.cpj.org
CPJ is an
independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom
worldwide.
Contact:
Sue Valentine
Africa Program
Coordinator
Peter Nkanga
West Africa
Representative
Email: pnkanga@cpj.org
Tom Rhodes
East Africa
Representative
Email: trhodes@cpj.org
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