On January 10, 2025, the Speaker of Sierra Leone’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas imposed an indefinite ban on journalist Melvin Tejan Mansaray. The ban, which took effect on the spot, was announced on the floor of Parliament by the Speaker himself without recourse to due process.
Speaker Thomas accused Mansaray of an “insulting conduct,” alleging that the journalist called Members of Parliament (MPs) “useless” and accused the Speaker of rigging a parliamentary election without any evidence to substantiate his claims. The Speaker himself did not provide any evidence to back his accusations and the individuals said to have reported Mansaray’s alleged comments to the Speaker were unnamed. Following his accusations, the Speaker proceeded to expel Mansaray from the precincts of Parliament and ordered his immediate removal.
In a video recorded during the session, Speaker Thomas described Mansaray as a habitual critic of Parliament and justified the expulsion as a warning to other journalists covering legislative proceedings. He declared, “This is my Chamber. I have the authority to allow you to be here or not.”
The arbitrariness of the Speaker’s action became apparent when he later announced that Mansaray would be invited to appear before Parliament’s Ethics Committee, after having already pronounced and enforced the ban. Due process was, thus, not followed because punishment and the enforcement of it had taken even before an investigation into the accusation.
Even calls by the opposition leader in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, for the matter to be referred to the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and the Independent Media Commission (IMC) were dismissed by the Speaker.
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the African Parliamentary Press Network (APPN) have both criticised the Speaker’s action as heavy-handed and inimical to press freedom.
The MFWA finds the arbitrariness of the Speaker’s actions deeply troubling. The determination of Speaker Thomas to ban and expel the journalist from Parliament, and his dismissal of the call to have the case referred to SLAJ and IMC who have the mandate to whip unprofessional journalists in line; is a total disregard for procedural fairness and due process and an attack against press freedom. The house that makes laws must itself be seen to be law-abiding.
The MFWA, therefore, calls on Speaker Thomas to immediately and unconditionally lift the ban on Melvin Tejan Mansaray while the Parliament Ethics Committee investigates the case. We also urge the Ethics Committee to objectively investigate the accusations and come to objective and fair conclusion(s) without being pressured by the fact that the case was raised by the Speaker. We encourage all to defer all media-related issues to the IMC which has the mandate to handle such issues.
