The Sierra Leone Government has formally declared 37 individuals—many of them well-known opposition supporters—free from any criminal investigation, ending years of politically motivated arrests, torture, and imprisonment that marred the run-up to the 2023 general elections.
In a statement issued on 12 August 2025 by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay, the Government confirmed the list of names submitted by the All People’s Congress (APC) under Resolution 4 of the Agreement for National Unity (ANU). The resolution, part of a peace deal signed on 18 October 2023 between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the opposition APC, was brokered under heavy pressure from the international community after widespread condemnation of the government’s crackdown on political dissent.
Those named include Idrissa Hamid Kamara, Insp. Sullay Deen Sesay, Victor Vandy Kamara, and several others who were arrested in the months before the 2023 polls. Human rights groups and opposition leaders insist these arrests were not linked to genuine criminal activity but were part of a deliberate SLPP campaign to silence APC supporters, with many detainees subjected to physical abuse, lengthy detentions without trial, and inhumane prison conditions.
While the release and clearance of these 37 individuals mark a major step in implementing the peace accord, civil society organisations warn that dozens of other political prisoners remain behind bars across Sierra Leone. Many, they say, are still languishing in Pademba Road, Mafanta, and other detention centres under dire conditions, awaiting justice.
The ANU, also known as the “Tripartite Agreement,” committed the government to release all political detainees, halt politically motivated prosecutions, and rebuild trust between rival parties. However, rights advocates argue that progress has been slow, and continued detentions risk undermining the credibility of the agreement.
For families of those still imprisoned, the announcement is bittersweet—welcoming the freedom of some, while demanding the same justice for all victims of what they call “state-sponsored political persecution.”
By Joseph Turay
