by ibakarr | Aug 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
The fact that Minister Karamoko Kabbah and the other public officials involved in the plain illegal mining in Kono have not been brought to justice is simply a symptom of the Wild West state that many fear this country is slowly descending into. What is even more infuriating is the silence or seeming complicity by state institutions set up to protect both our environment and the public interest. (more…)
by ibakarr | Feb 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
RE: Passage of “Safe Abortion Act” bill
Dear Mr. President, We, the undersigned organizations, write today to urge you to sign into law the “Safe Abortion Act 2015,” recently overwhelmingly passed by the Parliament, which will increase women and girls’ access to safe and legal abortion. By signing this bill, you would be taking a crucial step toward protecting women and girls’ right to health in Sierra Leone.
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by ibakarr | Feb 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
(Dakar, February 4, 2016) – Sierra Leone’s president, Ernest Bai Koroma, should sign into law a bill that would increase women’s access to safe and legal abortion, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today in a letter they and five Sierra Leonean rights groups[1] sent to President Koroma.
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by ibakarr | Jan 13, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Executive Director of the Center for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL) today welcomed the appointment of His Lordship Justice Abdulai Hamid Charm as Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Mr. Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
“On behalf of CARL, I congratulate both of them on their appointments and wish them success with their vision visions, for the justice system in Sierra Leone”, said CARL Director Ibrahim Tommy.
CARL is encouraged by these appointments as both appointees have made significant contributions to the justice sector. We genuinely look forward to seeing their knowledge and long-standing experience in the justice sector translate into a more efficient and accessible justice system that is capable of delivering justice fairly and expeditiously.
We are particularly hopeful that there will be a professionally healthy collaboration between both institutions to address the perennial challenges confronting the administration of justice, including the frequent delays in trials, prolonged pre-trial detentions, paucity of judicial officers and support staff, and a negative public perception about the justice system, amongst others.
CARL respectfully urges His Lordship the Chief Justice to act swiftly on improving judicial case and records management, as well as recruiting more judicial officials who will be permanently based in all the judicial districts of the country. We also encourage the new Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to push for the recruitment and retention of additional staff for the Law Officers’ Department, and ensure increased training for personnel of the Sierra Leone Police in terms of legal advice, preliminary investigations, and in carrying out prosecutorial duties.
CARL looks forward to more partnership with both the judiciary and the Attorney General’s Office as we collectively work towards increasing access to justice, enhancing transparency, efficiency and speedy trials, and narrowing the perception gap between citizens and the local justice institutions.
His Lordship Chief Justice Abdulai Hamid Charm has been a Judge of the High Court of Sierra Leone since June 2011 and was appointed a Judge of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone in 2013. He has been a Legal Practitioner since 1991, with nine years experience at the Law Officers’ Department, particularly with the Director of Public Prosecutions Division, first as State Counsel and then as Senior State Counsel.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Joseph Kamara, who was called to the bar in 1990, had also worked in the Law Officers’ Department for eight years, become President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, worked in the Special Court for Sierra Leone as a Prosecutor, and was most recently the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Sierra Leone.
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by ibakarr | Jan 13, 2016 | Uncategorized
Background
The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that seeks to promote a just society for all persons in Sierra Leone through monitoring institutions of accountability and justice, outreach and advocacy for institutional transparency, capacity building and empowerment of citizens. Established more than 11 years ago, CARL focuses on achieving four broad goals: Enhancing justice and respect for rule of law, increasing transparency and citizen participation in governance, Promoting accountability for gender-based crimes, and strategic litigation. CARL has offices in four districts, and works with various organisations and networks locally and internationally.
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