Journalist assaulted, detained

Expression

On 4th January 2020, a group of men assaulted reporter Foday Conteh, while he was at the house of Musa Bamba Jodey Jalloh, a member of parliament in northern Bendugu village. According to Conteh, he was attacked when he arrived at the politician’s house to interview the MP about an incident when the politician's supporters attacked two journalists. Conteh was held in police custody for 17 hours. Even though the journalist told media freedom organisation -- the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) -- that he did not sustain any serious injuries, he was shaken up by the attack. Angela Quintal of CPJ said: 

 “Covering local politics should not be a dangerous beat, and authorities must ensure that reporters can do their jobs without fear.”

Peaceful Assembly

On 7th February 2020, police prevented students at Njala University from protesting on the university's campuses in Bo and Njala. Police stormed the the demonstration and stopped students from gathering. The students had planned to protest the ongoing strike among university faculty members, who have been on on a strike since 30 January 2020. There were no arrests made on the day of the planned protest.