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Remembering January 6, 1999 and how hell was let loose on Sierra Leone

....AND HOW THE "INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS" WERE FORCED OUT INTO THE OPEN...

Sunday August 2, 2009 - Sierra Leone's "Smoke and Mirrors" President Koroma in a fix as UK tax payers demand accountability

Reports reaching us indicate that hit with the first sign of stark reality, President Ernest Koroma and his chief actors now appear to be in confusion, if not trepidation over how to respond to a BBC report which did not only remind the government of the dangers of unbridled corruption but which made it quite clear that UK tax payers will now want to know to what use UK aid is being put. UK tax payers now want to know if projects on paper for the people of Sierra Leone get transformed into services for the benefit of the ordinary Sierra Leonean instead of the cruel smoke and mirrors the government has been ever so willing to employ in it's cover-up tactics. It should be recalled that the misuse and outright theft of aid resources poured into the country is not an Ernest Bai Koroma unique stamp. This issue was raised during the President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah period with former International Development ministers Clare Short and Hillary Benn warning that government to get it's act together. The Tejan Kabbah government did not heed the message and the UK government did nothing to show that it meant business except for token moves like the suspension of funding to the Anti Corruption Commission under Val Collier. Any wonder why Ernest Bai Koroma should be bothered? So if former President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah did not blink an eyelid to appoint J B Dauda as Finance minister, what's to stop Ernest Bai Koroma having a person like Abdul Karim Koroma as the country's envoy to China? The website of DFID Sierra Leone states that total UK aid sent to Sierra Leone for the period 2007/2008 is £57.7 million.

An icon, a woman of substance is no more but her spirit lives. Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino - the woman who stood up to the Marcos suppressors has died - aged 76. Remember the brazen assassination of her husband Benigno Servillano Aquino in broad daylight as he stepped off that plane from exile on August 21,1983? His crime - attempting to convince President Marcos that the country needed democracy. This was the method of the suppressor. Death to those who were seen as threatening their power base...and this after he was given assurances by President Marcos and given military escort to ensure his "safety".

Like all mortals on planet Earth, she inevitably had to leave us but her legacy lives. A legacy that showed that with a country united in putting forward their demands for change for the good of its citizens, the oppressor will be defeated. Who would have thought that the extremely corrupt and uncaring Marcos regime backed by powerful friends in the West would have been toppled by the people as they all shouted with one voice - never again and enough is enough? She became the first President in Asia in 1986 after protests that saw the Marcos' forced to quit power in what was then seen as "well-nigh impossible" by watchers. But it happened.

People Power was also demonstrated in the mother country during junta repression days when the beasts of the AFRC/RUF attempted to hold the people of Sierra Leone hostage as extreme violence and intimidation were employed to cower all and sundry deemed as wanting democracy restored. And just as in the Phillipines the people of Sierra Leone resisted and in the end defeated the oppressors with the key actors hauled before the Special Court for Sierra Leone were they were convicted of war crimes and other human rights abuses. Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino - RIP

12 years ago today, a reminder of the intolerance of the beasts

Had it not been for the vigilance of the then much-hated and maligned pro-democrats during the terror campaign of the AFRC/RUF coalition of evil, Sierra Leone would have become another Cambodia as apologists of that vile thing (including its journalists now pretending to be law-abiding while enjoying the fruits of democracy in Western countries) tried to foist a "peoples court" to administer their kind of justice. Here's President Ernest Bai Koroma's hero Johnny Paul Koroma, chief of the beasts, rapists, looters and murderers as he bellowed out the virtues of their kind of justice.

"These People's Revolutionary Courts shall not be kangaroo courts but shall be presided over by a panel of five assessors including paramount chief. One of the five shall, at any one time and in rotation, serve as the chairman of the panel of assessors.....Their powers to impose fines and sentences of imprisonment shall be identical to those of the high courts.....An appeal against the judgment of the People's Revolutionary Court shall be to the Court of Appeal on point of law. A decree to this effect shall be promulgated shortly".

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And even today the paw prints of the beasts can be seen all over as perpetrators are compensated under the Ernest Bai Koroma set-up (AFRC Bank Governor and Kemoh Fadika are now our great country's "envoys") where Alieu Kamara of territorial integrity fame is now the voice of AFRC Mark 2 under the dubious and self-serving gibberish-sounding slogan "Attitudinal....something".

And talking about "smoke and mirrors" where lies are embellished with half truths to give a different picture (the art of the magician) whatever happened to Expo Times online? It was up briefly with scurrilous articles as Ibrahim Seaga Shaw tried to explain his way out of questions over his moral fibre (if any) to lead a campaign to set up a safe house for persecuted journalists in the UK. Can you imagine that? The man who used his paper during junta rule to see no wrong in the AFRC and helped in the persecution of those journalists considered anti-junta? The man who in one article implicitly recognised the junta as a legitimate government despite the contrary by the majority of Sierra Leoneans as well as the international community. And to think that he did not set up a safe house for journalists persecuted by his AFRC bosses in Sierra Leone during junta rule?

Tuesday July 21, 2009 - Ghana's former Foreign minister stands accused in Indian rice deal. Sierra Leone roped in similar deal described a scam. How much was known about the rice from India in Sierra Leone?

The authorities in Ghana on Tuesday July 21 arrested and charged the country's former Foreign minister Akwasi Osei-Adjei on a one-count charge of "causing financial loss to the state". He had been under investigation over rice imports from India earlier this year. The former minister has denied any wrongdoing and in a BBC interview hinted that it could well be a part of a witch hunt by the new regime. It has now emerged from at least one source in India that Ghana was not the only country involved in what has been described in some circles as a scam. In an article headlined "Whose Name On A Grain Of Rice?" the Outlook has this comment on the Ghana case.

If this deal was shocking, the deal with Sierra Leone was even more curious. The country sought nearly 40,000 MT of rice on a preferential payment basis from India in early 2008. But instead of a letter of credit coming from its government, it came from an international soft commodities trading company, Novel Commodities, with their offices in 1227 Carouge, Switzerland. As in the Ghana case, Sierra Leone also demanded that the rice be shipped through a Delhi-based rice exporting company, M/s Shivnath Rai Harnarain India Ltd. Sierra Leone sought another consignment in May ’09 through Amira.

Over to the Ernest Bai Koroma set-up for an explanation to the people. Who benefited from this deal? Could this be the reason why local production of the staple rice has never been encouraged because of the killing to be made using such underhand tactics? And this in a country that can easily produce enough rice for local consumption and export. Time to get rid of the smoke and mirrors Mr President.

Friday July 17, 2009 - SLPP Chairman addresses party faithful in London and says - "unite and help us fight the grave threat to democracy in Sierra Leone"

The leader of Sierra Leone's largest opposition party, the SLPP Mr John Benjamin has appealed for unity within the party ranks (UK and Ireland branch) both within and outside the country to fight against what he says is a slide towards anarchy and chaos as good governance procedures are disregarded by the ruling APC party led by Ernest Bai Koroma. Addressing a cross-section of party members and other Sierra Leoneans at the Walworth Road Methodist Church hall in south London Mr Benjamin said that what the country needs at the moment is what he called "an effective opposition and a government that delivers on its promises". Mr Benjamin urged his audience to get interested in the political landscape of Sierra Leone with the cry - "Don't say you are not interested in politics. If you say you are not, then politics is interested in you. So join the fight against what is clearly a breakdown of all the structures the SLPP had put in place for good governance and which is now being dismantled by the Ernest Bai Koroma government" The SLPP Chairman roundly condemned the Ernest Bai Koroma government for unlawfully manipulating key aspects of governance in Sierra Leone including President Koroma's refusal to separate the office of the Attorney-General from that of the Minister of Justice. For those who want to join the APC, please do so if only to remind President Koroma of his party's manifesto and to tell him where he's going wrong. "This man said he would run the country as a business and everyone can see that his first business, the supply of constant electricity to Freetown has collapsed".

PICTURES OF FRIDAY'S EVENT

Tuesday July 14, 2009 - While Charles Taylor was busy painting a picture of himself as "saint", another alleged war criminal is sentenced in Arusha. This thing called justice!!!

A former governor of Kigali City and a colonel in the Rwandan Armed Forces has been sentenced to life in jail by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) sitting in Arusha, Tanzania. Tharcisse Renzaho was before the tribunal to answer charges of genocide, complicity to commit genocide and murder as a crime against humanity, among others. The Trial Chamber found that this former military officer and civic leader was complicit in the setting up of road blocks where Tutsis were weeded out for the killing machine of the those that carried out the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. He is also alleged to have made remarks encouraging the sexual abuse of women and was found criminally liable for rape that followed. The summary of the judgement has noted in one section that

9. The Chamber has considered Renzaho’s communiqués broadcast on Radio Rwanda during the events. His utterances about roadblocks were not clear. However, he never called for an end to the killing of Tutsi civilians, and calls for peace were usually accompanied by requests that the population continue to remain vigilant and encouragement in the fight against the Inyenzi or Inkotanyi. The Chamber finds that Renzaho supported the killings of Tutsi civilians at roadblocks.
 

Monday July 13, 2009 - War crimes suspect Charles Taylor takes the stand at Special Court for Sierra Leone. The long and winding road to justice...

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor will today for the first time take the stand at the Sierra Leone Special Court sitting in the Hague to show his accusers that rather than he being a warlord and merchant of death as is alleged, that he in fact was a peacemaker. This is a part of international and in many cases national laws which state in no uncertain terms that an accused remains so until proven otherwise - never mind what could look like giving suspected devils the benefit of the doubt that their alleged victims never had a chance to enjoy. That is how justice operates and should be. Reports from the Hague say Charles Taylor has got quite a crowd/multitude of witnesses that would cast him in what he believes he is - an angel of peace!!! According to document available on the website of the court, the former President and warlord of Liberia has to answer to 11 (eleven) charges relating to war crimes and other violations of human rights that include murder, sexual violence (including rape), abductions and forced labour and the use of child soldiers.

.....and on Tuesday July 14 speaks of his love for humanity!!!! ""I am a father of 14 children, grandchildren, with love for humanity, have fought all my life to do what I thought was right in the interests of justice and fair play." Indeed. The Sierra Herald wonders how parents and other relations of his Small Boys Unit (SBU) would react.

....and it is Taylor's theatrics when he was being examined by his chief defence lawyer Courtenay Griffiths that has got many a people talking...and talking - more especially those who have never heard him speak during his warlord years and his banter with BBC interviewers. Perhaps as a reminder, the Times Online on Sunday July 19 carried this article by Giles Foden author of The Last King of Scotland.

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Saturday July 11, 2009 - He came, he stated it forcefully and got corrupt leaders quaking in their boots but will Obama deliver?

The long-expected visit has finally been made. President Hussein Barack Obama has visited Ghana addressed that country's top government and political leaders, civil society groups and other stake holders invited to the ceremony at the Accra Conference Centre. The visiting Head of State used the opportunity to send a clear message to Africa's "leaders" that they should be committed to the welfare of the people saying

"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves - or if police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there. And now is the time for that style of governance to end."

This no-nonsense speech, punctuated by loud and long waves of applause where he touched on the raw nerve of Africa's tyrants and human rights abusers that pass themselves off as leaders is bound to get them very worried and so the question is - despite this nice speech, will the United States led by President Obama deliver to Africa?

But what America will do is increase assistance for responsible individuals and responsible institutions, with a focus on supporting good governance -- on parliaments, which check abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices are heard; on the rule of law, which ensures the equal administration of justice; on civic participation, so that young people get involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption like forensic accounting and automating services strengthening hotlines, protecting whistle-blowers to advance transparency and accountability.

Tuesday July 7, 2009 - Justice for victims as UK can now prosecute war crimes and human rights abusers living in the UK from as far back as 1991.

In April this year, a British High Court blocked the removal of four men accused of being involved in the Rwanda genocide of 1994 to stand trial in the country. The legal experts who decided this were of the view that the men would not receive a fair trial and ordered that the men be set free with immediate effect!!! The judges also said there was a risk of government interference with Rwanda's judiciary and that there was evidence that defence witnesses in Rwanda were afraid to give evidence in the men's favour. The judges refused Rwanda's request to appeal the ruling to the House of Lords, effectively ending the extradition process, according to prosecutors.

And now UK Justice minister Jack Straw has today announced that all those accused of genocide and other serious crimes relating to human rights would be tried in the UK thereby effectively roping in the four Rwandan genocide suspects Vincent Bajinya, Celestin Ugirashebuja, Emmanuel Nteziryayo and Charles Munyaneza. One report states that at an extradition hearing in 2007, a court heard that Bajinya - who changed his name to Vincent Brown when he became a British citizen - had been part of the "inner circle" of then Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana. Prosecutors told the court that Bajinya went on to become a leader in the Interahamwe militia which spearheaded the slaughter. Court papers alleged he ordered the militia to cut a suspected Tutsi "into pieces so that he would not recover". Oh this thing called justice - the wheels sometimes move slowly in addressing such issues, but they do get there in the end.

Tuesday July 7,2009 - Four years ago today evil and vile mass murderers unleashed terror on the people of London....and four years on Londoners and the rest of the country say "We shall never be intimidated....and damn such evil people"

The people of the United Kingdom today held ceremonies to honour in remembrance of, all those who died, who lost limbs and who up to this day continue to be traumatised by bombs of suicide attackers who clearly demonstrated that they are the true dregs and self-damned of society. Four years on the resolve of Londoners, yea of the whole United Kingdom remain strong, increasingly strong to show those who plan evil that they will never succeed in cowering the people of London and the United Kingdom. The Sierra Herald would add - If you have a problem with the United Kingdom and you do not believe in democratic and non-violent means to solve issues, yet continue to milk the system - we say the doors are open - Please take the nearest exit and leave the people in peace, God-given peace so that they can live their lives as residents within the borders of the United Kingdom.

The Guardian

SKY NEWS

Friday July 3, 2009 - AFRICA'S SHAME - The AU decision on Bashir - genuine concern or shameless self-preservation and license for continued human rights abuses on the continent?

"Leaders" of African nations have done it again - this time stating that they would not co-operate with the International Criminal Court, the ICC in the arrest and extradition of Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir to stand trial over allegations of war crimes in Darfur. Reports say African "leaders" were not comfortable at the way they had been treated over requests that the UN Security defer the threat of arrest for a year. However reports from the meeting halls say a number of countries were not comfortable with either the wording of the statement nor the implied motive and there should not be any surprises should countries who've signed co-operation agreements with the ICC ignore the African Union stance. Others accuse Libyan "leader" Ghaddafi of using "unwholesome methods" to have such a "gut-wrenching and vile" statement to protect war crimes suspects hence paving the way for evil "leaders" to perpetuate themselves upon their people. Condemnation of the AU move has been swift and fast with one of the rebel groups in Darfur insisting that the African Union "has lost all legal and moral legitimacy". All eyes will now be on the Security Council and how it will overcome this challenge from the continental body.

France 24 news

BBC

Thursday June 25, 2009 - THE KING IS DEAD - THE KING OF POP IS NO MORE

It is with great sadness and a deep sense of shock, disbelief and loss that the Sierra Herald joins the news world in bringing to you the passing away of the world's greatest pop icon and a star whose shining star shone all over the world, the one and only Michael Jackson. And at age 50 - only 50 (Date of Birth - August 29, 1959..oops got that wrong - its 1958, not 1959) the Sierra Herald would be tempted to add for a man who had the world at his feet and who for many years wowed the world the way only he can. He may have had his problems as is likely in the world of show business, he could have had personal problems, he could well have angered a number of his followers because of what they saw as an attempt to change his appearance, but he was still forgiven by them no doubt as could be evidenced by the rush for tickets for a proposed London tour that was scheduled for July 8 - a total sell-out that left fans asking for more. Up to the time of hitting the computer keys, friends were still hoping that news of his demise could be a mistake, an error for which they were willing to forgive errant news agencies. But as it turned out - the man is gone to the great beyond and may the Good Lord grant him eternal solace. R I P.

Friday May 5 - Startling revelations - Feeding off the backs of the deprived and poor - Liberian World Vision official questioned over donor funds. Time to look at Sierra Leone.

A Senior Vice President of the Christian humanitarian organisation World Vision George Ward has told the BBC that new rules are now in place to ensure that proper accounting is in place after the organisation's auditors discovered that of all the aid meant for the people of Liberia, only 9% were actually delivered to the people for whom it was intended. George Ward revealed documents were falsified and that witnesses were compromised and that if they had actually got people on the ground to verify rather than rely on officials on the ground in Liberia, such a massive fraud would not have reached the level that has now been unearthed. Three people are to account for the missing funds including the programmes manager Joe Bondo. One news source noted

"Joe Bondo has been in a Washington jail since his arrest May 20, and documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Washington suggest a plea deal is in the works...The names of the other two officials were blacked out in charging documents, and the Justice Department would not comment on their status. But an exhibit filed in the case identifies them as Morris Fahnbulleh and Thomas Parker, commodity officers with the program.

Prosecutors say the three men accused in the case built three to four houses each in the area around the capital, Monrovia, and bought new vehicles every few months. Outside Bondo's house was a water pump that prosecutors say was intended for a World Vision project.

The three officials have been charged with 12 criminal counts, including fraud, theft, lying to investigators and witness-tampering.

In early 2007, World Vision got an anonymous tip that its food deliveries were being diverted and sent auditors to 258 Liberian towns that supposedly benefited from its program. The auditors found 91 percent of the food was not delivered and 34 of the towns didn't even exist.

Time for a good look at aid management by religious and other organisations in Sierra Leone during the war recovery period? About time - the Sierra Herald believes.

June 5, 2009 - As ICC Chief Prosecutor gets ready to brief the UN Security Council on Darfur, human rights groups issue statements on eve.

Human Rights Watch and Justice for Darfur - rights monitoring groups with eyes on acts that threaten the integrity of the human being all over the world and more especially Darfur (Justice for Darfur) have issued statements urging the United Nations Security Council to press for the surrender and trial of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and others wanted for serious crimes committed in Darfur. It would be recalled that since the arrest warrant was made public, the Sudanese President had been comforted by the stance of the African Union and the Arab League - two organisations that have openly stated that they would not carry out the request of the ICC to arrest and hand the Sudanese President for trial in the Hague. There have been calls from states belonging to these groups for a delay in the execution of the arrest warrant. What happens next after ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's address will be closely watched not only by human rights activists, but by other Heads of State with a tendency to violate the human rights of those they lord over in the name of a government in power.

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Remember the story of the south London woman caught by Laos government immigration officials and in prison on drug smuggling investigations? Yes it is about 20-year old Samantha Orobator who was awaiting trial for drug smuggling in far away Laos. UK TV pictures showed her weeping mother remonstrating in a show of support for those wanting to save her from the execution squad in Laos - for in that country a guilty verdict is death for the amount of heroin she was carrying on her body when caught. She however managed to escape certain death after pleading guilty but was spared with a life sentence imposed by the Laotian authorities whose laws forbade the execution of the pregnant. The UK-based Telegraph has noted

"She was arrested at Wattay Airport in the Lao capital, Vientiane, as she tried to board a plane last August. At first she told authorities she was pregnant by her boyfriend in England, but tests prove negative until another examination in March".

If things work out as planned by the UK authorities, Samantha would be in the UK soon enough to serve her sentence in a UK prison. The question now is - how did she get pregnant when she had not complained of being a victim of rape? Mysteries, mysteries and mysteries raising further questions that would put other womenfolk from the continent under increasing and sometimes unnecessary scrutiny.

May 31, 2009 - Welcome and let us celebrate Pentecost with hearts of gold, let us put aside all evil thoughts and deliberate lies for personal gains. Rejoice in the faith O ye who profess to be Christians and let your acts reflect the faith so that your friends and acquaintances may marvel at the change in you. Celebrate Pentecost we say and for all those who profess, who want others to believe that they are truly members of the Body of Christ, let us see the true grit of the Christian in you. Stop your evil acts that see you speaking in tongues that are far removed from what happened on this great day of Pentecost. Stop changing names on the internet as you hoodwink people while professing to belong to the Body of Christ. Stop speaking with a forked tongue using the cloak of the priest to engage in the work of the Devil in pursuit of earthly personal gains. And for President Ernest Bai Koroma, remember what your late father told you about the power of God and what your mum Aunty Alice has always hammered in your ear. Listen son, listen and repent as you make good your ways. The Good Lord is not mocked. And that piece of great advice also goes to former Trade and now Works Minister Alimamy P. Koroma. Allow the fire of Pentecost to burn in you so that all around you will see God's beauty in you and your actions. Read the thoughts of Leonard Akehurst on this who in part states

"Pentecost is the culmination of an experience in order to be the beginning of another. It was for the apostles; it should be so for us. We should celebrate, on this day, the coming of the Holy Spirit in our lives, his definitive presence within us from our baptism, and his constant coming upon us, time after time, as we call on him and open ourselves in faith to receive him. The apostles’ mission is also our mission"

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May 25, 2009 - How a good and noble day was turned upside down by the beasts in Sierra Leone

Today May 25, 2009 is a public holiday here in the United Kingdom - called Spring Bank Holiday as residents within the borders of the United Kingdom say goodbye to those dwindling daylight hours and the cold of the winter months. Students of African politics welcome May 25 as African Liberation Day - a day set aside by the continent to honour all those who struggled for freedom of African countries from the yoke of colonialism. And sadly, it was this day that was chosen by certain elements within the Sierra Leone army, a minority bent on mayhem, murder, looting and rape to deny the people of Sierra Leone their choice of a democratically-elected government. Residents of the capital Freetown will never forget that day as would the rest of the country as the Johnny Paul renegades invited their co-murderers and rapists in the RUF to join them and make the country as ungovernable as they could. They however met their match in the civilian population who had vowed at the Bintumani 1 and 2 conference halls that never again would they allow the khaki boys to rule the country. NEVER AGAIN. And so as we observe this day, let us all as Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone remember all those who perished, who suffered the trauma of rape and the dispossession of limb and property that they may be comforted and that the Good Lord in His infinite mercy will provide the appropriate balm. AMEN.

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The Freetown-based AWOKO newspaper has reported another of the government's good intentions - setting up committees to investigate allegations of rape and assault carried out on women holed up at the opposition SLPP office in Freetown as well as another to look generally into cases of violence against Sierra Leoneans in their own God-given land. The terms of the 3-man commission into the rape allegations include according to the newspaper

".....will have such powers, rights and privileges vested in the High Court especially when enforcing attendance of witness, compelling the production of documents and to examine witnesses even from abroad....To achieve their objectives, the commission will have free and unhindered access to all places and buildings that has to do with the allegation. They will also have unhindered freedom to all persons including security officers, to documents, information and materials."

A nice piece of legal instrument there that would help rope in any who would have used the interim to leave the country. The Head of the Commission charged with the responsibility of looking into the rape allegations is no stranger to Sierra Leone. Justice Bankole Thompson is a Sierra Leonean whose prowess in the legal field is well-respected and court room lovers would no doubt have been given an insight into his legal mind at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Nice move, we say nice move.

Friday May 22, 2009 - Rwandan genocide accused is found guilty by Canadian court

In what has been seen as a landmark verdict and a first in the legal books, a court in Canada has today found a man accused of being a part of the death machine in Rwanda that claimed a million lives guilty of war crimes. Desire Munyaneza 42, is the first man to have been convicted under a new law, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act enacted to deal with just such cases and even though the failed asylum seeker is allowed to appeal to the Canadian Supreme Court, his guilty verdict is aimed at sending a clear message to all within the borders of Canada that the country would never be a haven for alleged war criminals. The Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail has noted

In a landmark decision, Désiré Munyaneza was convicted on two counts of genocide, two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes for his part in the 1994 mass slaughter. Quebec Superior Court Justice André Denis delivered the verdict in a brief statement summarizing his 560-page judgment.

This thing called justice.

Reports from the mother country, of course not carried by the neo-Nazi propaganda machine, say all 22 SLPP supporters who were charged to court after their offices were ransacked by marauding ruling party operatives are now free. Free because human rights organisations, Sierra Leoneans who want to see justice in the land and the Sierra Herald were watching with keen interest how the courts were to be manipulated by a thing which passes for a government and which thing still refuses to accept that the constitution clearly demarcates the three arms of governance that prevents the Executive controlling the Judiciary. A welcome development but which leaves many an unanswered question over why the victims were hauled before the courts while their tormentors led by the Ernest Koroma's chief bodyguard is still at large which no doubt would have ugly repercussions on a country whose present leaders insist they want to "re-brand" the country. From a haven of tottering democracy to one of outright disrespect for human rights and lawlessness? We hope not. Kindly note this statement put out by the neo-Nazi propaganda machine after Sierra Leonean Tom Nyuma was nearly killed by the neo-Nazis of Sierra Leone.

A report in the Freetown-based AWOKO newspaper has once more thrown the spotlight on areas that need to be addressed by the authorities in Freetown - the provision of basics like potable water for residents. Had priority been assigned to such vital areas, Aminata would be alive today and continuing her education despite all the hardships faced by parents and relations wishing to improve the lot of not only the girl-child, but children everywhere in Sierra Leone. The lack of respect for the environment as the land-grabbing and private construction frenzy by mainly politicians in first the uncaring SLPP and now the neo-Nazi APC of Ernest Bai Koroma does not augur well for the country. We would urge all concerned to take a step back and remember that at the end of the day, it is the duty of care that would bring them the vote in Sierra Leone's fledgling democracy - never mind former Trade and now Works Minister Alimamy Koroma's boast that come 2012, they would swamp INEC, the electoral body with unopposed candidates!!!! May the Good Lord in His infinite mercy grant our grand daughter, daughter, sister and relation Aminata Kamara the rest and peace that only He can provide. Amen

Obligations of the mass media.

11. The press, radio and television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Constitution and highlight the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people - The Constitution of Sierra Leone.