Attacks on the Press in 2006 - Snapshots: Sierra Leone
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | February 2007 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 2006 - Snapshots: Sierra Leone, February 2007, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47c5675223.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Attorney General Frederick Carew said in February he would not pursue manslaughter charges against Fatmata Hassan, a ruling party member of parliament, three of her children, and two others accused of assaulting journalist Harry Yansaneh in May 2005. A judicial inquest had found that the attack contributed to Yansaneh's death from kidney failure in July 2005, and ordered the six arrested for manslaughter. But Carew told CPJ there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. At the time of his death, Yansaneh was acting editor of the private daily newspaper For Di People.
In August, authorities announced they would seek extradition of Hassan's three children from the United Kingdom on charges that they assaulted Yansaneh with intent to wound. This move followed local and international pressure, which peaked during the July anniversary of Yansaneh's death.
