Sewa News Stream

In March 2023, a group of United States senators introduced the Transnational Repression Policy Act, which aims “to hold foreign governments and individuals accountable when they stalk, intimidate, or assault people across borders, including in the United States.” Joseph Turay, the publisher of the Public Review newspaper, is still not safe from transnational repression committed by operatives of the Maada Bio administration.  This week, Turay  issued a press release  denouncing Abdul Hassan Fackie's recent statements  on the online television program Wi Yard , which aired on April 12, 2025. Turay claims that Fackie's statements are false, including the assertion that Turay is not in hiding and that Fackie is currently in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with his vehicle returned by the police.  Turay explains that, since his arrest on February 13, 2025, alongside Dutch journalist Sophie Van Leeuwen, he has been forced into hiding due to threats to his life and safety. ...

Jos Leijdekkers, a.k.a. Boll Jos, remains in the headlines of Sierra Leone's newspapers despite the president's denial that he knows the wanted Dutch criminal Bolle Jos, reportedly his daughter's boyfriend or husband.  Recently, videos surfaced showing Bolle Jos celebrating with high-ranking officials in Sierra Leone, prompting the government to announce that it has launched a search for the Dutch fugitive.  Meanwhile, a Dutch journalist covering the Bolle Jos case was detained in Sierra Leone. Shaken by her experience, journalist Sophie Van Leeuw left Sierra Leone and shared her observations about the oppressive methods used by the Maada Bio administration to silence dissent and restrict press freedom.  This week, further reports emerged revealing that the Sierra Leone government is bribing and threatening local journalists to prevent them from reporting on the wanted Dutch drug trafficker, Jos Leijdekkers. According to De Telegraaf, several reporters in hiding have disc...

In January 2013, Tablet , an online magazine focused on Jewish news and culture, featured Sierra Leone's parliament, which was built with Israeli assistance. The article, with the headline "The Al-Aqsa of Africa," paid homage to the building, symbolizing the long-standing relationship between Israel and the African continent. Since Sierra Leone's Siaka Stevens severed diplomatic relations with Israel following the Yom Kippur War, Israel and Sierra Leone have gradually rebuilt their diplomatic ties, which date back to the 1960s. Over the years, 657 Sierra Leoneans have benefited from various programs in agriculture, women's empowerment, education, health, community sustainability, and renewable energy, among others. In 2017, this relationship deepened with the visit of then-president Ernest Bai Koroma, marking the first-ever visit of a Sierra Leonean president to Israel. During the Ebola virus epidemic, Israel was also the first country to deliver humanitarian aid ...

  On this International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, Sierra Leoneans have a right to know the truth about the human rights violations inflicted upon Sorieba.  On November 26, 2023, he was tortured by the militia loyal to Maada Bio. A few years before his extrajudicial killing, Sorieba was forced to retire from the police force when Bio assumed office in 2018.  Watch here .  Maada Bio has employed torture and extrajudicial killings to silence dissent, evade accountability, and manipulate the government of Sierra Leone to attack opponents of his administration and its unlawful actions.  Meanwhile, today’s headline in one of Europe’s most respected newspapers, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, focuses on the relationship between the President of Sierra Leone and cocaine drug lord Jos Leijdekkers.  The article carries the headline " Fat Joe and His Friend, The President ," portraying Julius Maad...

Thursday's newspapers from Sierra Leone report that Maada Bio's daughter is the hidden force behind the wall of steel protecting Jos Liejdekkers, a Dutch fugitive described as a drug baron who is wreaking havoc on the country. According to Kamarainba Mansaray, who reportedly met with Dutch journalists, Liejdekkers allegedly used bribery to entice government officials, ensuring his security even after the Dutch government requested that Sierra Leone extradite him. The newspaper confirms that there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. Mansaray also asserted that Liejdekkers has significant financial interests in both Sierra Leone and the United States.

  A vehicle traveling from Sierra Leone to Monrovia through Lofa County was intercepted this week by the Joint Security of Foya District, led by the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA). Acting on a tip-off, the LDEA-led team stopped the vehicle and escorted it to the Foya Police Station for a detailed inspection. The street value of the significant drug shipment is estimated at $77,200. According to FrontPage Africa , on the night of March 17 at around 10:45 PM, the Joint Security team received information about a black pickup truck with a Liberian license plate transporting narcotics. Upon interception, the driver initially claimed to be transporting clothes and slippers for sale. However, a thorough search revealed 772 plates of high-grade marijuana, valued at approximately $77,200 (14,668,000 Liberian dollars), as well as eight boxes of Tramadol worth an additional 160,000 Liberian dollars. The driver was immediately arrested and is currently under investigation. He is expect...