Monrovia – Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Communication, Mr. Mohamed R. Swaray says the Maadi Bio administration will not take dictation from any government regarding the ongoing saga involving the head of the Council of Patriots in Liberia, Mr. Henry Costa.
Speaking to the BBC Focus on Wednesday, Mr. Swaray said the government of Sierra Leone is committed to protecting the rights of Mr. Costa and said while there is some cooperation with Liberia regarding the request from immigration authorities, it has no intentions of straying from its democratic principles.
Said Mr. Swaray: “We just want to ensure that we fulfill his rights, he himself can attest to that, he’s been very well treated, we cannot take dictation from any other government, we’re a democracy, we value that. We have struggled far too long for democracy and this government is noted for its very strong democratic credential so we will not do anything on toward. So, as soon as we have gone through the process, we will do what we have to do.”
Mr. Swaray explained that immigration authorities in Sierra Leone received a call from its Liberia counterparts to cross check a few things regarding Mr. Costa. But the minister made it clear: “Henry is not in detention, he is enjoying the full human rights, we are a sovereign democracy, we don’t take instructions from other people. I can assure you that Henry’s human rights and basic freedoms will be respected. In fact, he posted something on Facebook that he’s being well-treated, he’s not been coerced, he’s very well protected even though he’s in confinement. So, as a government we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that we don’t interfere with his basic rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Mr. Swaray reiterated that Sierra Leone remains very strong on democratic principles. “In fact those are the hallmarks of our administration and democratic accountability.”
“Sierra Leone Government has an obligation under both national and international law to protect human rights, and should not be seen as facilitating the abuse or violation of such rights. Should the Sierra Leone Government extradite Mr. Costa to Liberia, it will be equally blamed for any abuses or violations to which he may be subjected. This will certainly have far-reaching implication for Sierra Leone’s human rights credentials and its international image.”
A Conglomerate of Seven Civil Society Organizations in Sierra Leone
He assured Liberians and supporters of Mr. Costa harboring suspicions that light is at the end of the tunnel. “I can only say to those Liberians thinking that way to continue to be glued to the radio, we are doing what we need to do now and pretty soon we will do what’s right without compromising or jeopardizing our credentials as a democratic, freedom-loving and accountable administration.”
The minister assured that the matter should be resolved soon. “We are a sovereign democracy. At the appropriate time we will do what is right by our constitution, the value that Sierra Leone and this administration represents. We will not keep Mr. Costa any longer than necessary in detention. That will be pretty soon. Pretty, pretty soon.”
The minister’s comments came moments after a conglomerate of seven civil society organizations in Sierra Leone – Campaign for Good Governance, Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law, Human Rights Defenders Network, Partnership for Justice, Network Movement for Democracy and Human Rights, Campaign for Human Rights and Development International and Amnesty International – issued a strong statement calling for Mr. Costa’s release.
SL’s Civil Society ‘Deeply Concerned’
The statement read:
We, the undersigned civil society leaders in Sierra Leone, are deeply concerned about the arrest of Henry P. Costa, the leader of Liberia’s Council of Patriots, who was travelling to the United States of America via Sierra Leone’s international airport. While the Government of Sierra Leone has not provided any public statement on the reasons for his arrest, we have been reliably informed that Mr. Costa was arrested reportedly on the orders of the Liberian government.
As of now, we are not aware of any charges being preferred by the Liberian government against Mr. Costa, and we believe that the only reason the Government of Liberia is pursuing him is because of his leadership role in the 30th December 2019 nationwide protest in Liberia. We believe that Mr. Costa’s right to demonstrate is guaranteed under both Liberian and international law, and we strongly condemn the Liberian government’s attempts to punish him for exercising his right.
In light of the above, we urge the Government of Sierra Leone to immediately release Mr. Costa and allow him to travel to the United States of America or his preferred destination. We further urge the Government of Sierra Leone to reject any extradition request from the Liberian government as we are reliably informed that if extradited to Liberia, Mr. Costa will be severely tortured by the Weah administration.
The Sierra Leone Government has an obligation under both national and international law to protect human rights, and should not be seen as facilitating the abuse or violation of such rights. Should the Sierra Leone Government extradite Mr. Costa to Liberia, it will be equally blamed for any abuses or violations to which he may be subjected. This will certainly have far-reaching implication for Sierra Leone’s human rights credentials and its international image.