Sierra Leone Publisher Chernoh Alpha Bah Threatened with Death, Charges of Treason

On May 4, Sierra Leone’s Office of National Security (ONS), a federal security agency, submitted a complaint to the Independent Media Commission, the country’s media regulator, according to a copy of the complaint published by the Africanist Press and Bah, who spoke by phone with CPJ.

The complaint accused the Africanist Press of making “a deliberate attempt…to stir disaffection in the military,” which the ONS said could “cause unrest in the country.” The agency asked the commission to warn the news organization against “inciting publications.”

The Africanist Press is a U.S.-based news site that covers Sierra Leonean politics and “grassroots African perspectives” on current events, according to its website.

The ONS letter followed a May 3 Africanist Press report, published on Bah’s Facebook page, which has more than 14,000 followers, alleging that the salaries of 30 officials in Sierra Leone’s finance ministry could cover the monthly earnings of 1,747 Sierra Leonean soldiers, Bah told CPJ.

The U.S.-based Bah has also been the target of death threats and other threats sent via social media. On May 6, Bah received a death threat in a Facebook direct message from a user who accused him of trying to “distract the real citizens of Sierra Leone,” according to Bah and a screenshot of the message reviewed by CPJ.

On May 23, a Facebook group called the General Kalokoh Media Team posted that the Africanist Press should face prosecution for cybercrimes, accusing Bah of exposing “highly classified” data. The group, which as of late May had more than 700 members, states its purpose as “promoting the interest of the president,” an apparent reference to President Julius Maada Bio.