AYV News, March 13, 2025
The Parliament of Sierra Leone has passed into law with some amendments, The Bill entitled: ‘National Counter Terrorism Act of 2024’.
The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee, to provide for offenses of terrorism and terrorism-related matters, to provide for enforcement measures on terrorist funds and other assets, to provide for the prohibition of financial support to terrorism, and to provide for other related matters.
Presenting the Report of the Legislative Committee to the Plenary of the Committee of the Whole House, the Chairman of the aforesaid Committee, Hon. Abdul Sulaiman Marray-Conteh, elucidated the amendments. He explained that the Committee amended the Bill from sentences, contents, Clauses, parts, term of imprisonment, fines, amongst others.
The Bill was piloted by the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Saptiru Elizabeth Saccoh.
In similar development, the Opposition Leader of Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, expressed concerns regarding the Act. He highlighted the risks of misusing the definition of terrorist acts, which include violence against persons, property damage, and other serious offences.
Hon. Kargbo emphasised that without proper exemptions, the law could be used to target opposition groups, protestors, and those voicing dissent against the government.
The Opposition Leader pointed to the 2011 African Union meeting in Malawi, where African countries developed a model counter-terrorism law. He noted that this model included specific exemptions for acts of advocacy, protest, dissent, and industrial actions, which would not be classified as terrorist activities.
Kargbo emphasised that the opposition would not support the Counter-Terrorism Act in its current form without the inclusion of these safeguards. He underscored that such laws must stand the test of time and not be used arbitrarily. The opposition’s position was clear: they were against terrorism but also against any misuse of the law to silence dissent or opposition movements.
The Opposition Leader also noted that the government’s refusal to incorporate the exemptions further deepened the opposition’s concerns about the law’s potential to be used against political opponents. Despite this, he clarified that the opposition was not against fighting terrorism but was advocating for protections to prevent the law from being weaponized against peaceful dissent.
Kargbo concluded by acknowledging the government’s position but affirmed that the opposition’s role is to ensure that the law is just and does not infringe on the fundamental human rights of Sierra Leoneans. He reassured the public that the opposition would continue to challenge any measures that might misuse the Counter-Terrorism Act to undermine democracy.
