Access to Justice for 500 Women in Sierra Leone

In August 2017, Adama* and her 15-year-old daughter, Isatu*, were arrested in Kissy, in the east end of Freetown on suspicion of murder, a crime for which the death penalty is mandatory. The police alleged that Adama had murdered her neighbour, Judi*, following a dispute between them earlier that day. Adama and Isatu had been held in Kissy Police Station for two days when an AdvocAid paralegal met them. The paralegal interviewed them and explained the legal process and their rights.  During the interview, Adama and Isatu were told a very different story to the police’s version of events. 

Judi*, a well-known alcoholic in the neighbourhood, had been trying to purchase gin from Adama who had refused the sale because Judi was already intoxicated. Responding aggressively, Judi began shouting at Adama and the two entered into an argument. Isatu intervened and separated the women, at which point Judi left with her lover, Joseph*. The next morning, Judi was found dead by her neighbours who had reported finding her lying naked on the street.

The police were quick to arrest Adama and her daughter once they heard about the previous day’s tussle. The police also arrested Joseph and one other woman, but they were released after a week. Adama suspects they paid the police Le 1 million (approx. US$ 130) in exchange for their release, a bribe which she had also been offered but was unable to afford. Adama and Isatu were, therefore, kept in detention and remained suspects for the murder, despite there being no evidence against them.

Whilst suspects must not be detained for more than 10 days without charge, Adama and Isatu were detained in Kissy Police Station well beyond this time. The police do not have the resources to provide food for inmates, so detainees rely on family members to bring them meals. Her detention put immense strain on Adama’s family; with her husband unemployed, Adama is the sole provider for her husband and five children. Every day Adama spent in detention meant that she could not run her business, which sustained her family of seven. It also meant that Isatu could not start the school year in September with her class mates.

AdvocAid’s paralegal worked to release Adama and Isatu throughout their detention. He sought out the Investigating Officer and asked why they were being detained when there was no evidence connecting the to the murder. The Investigating Officer had already referred the case to prosecutors, however, and so they had to wait in detention until the prosecutors decided whether to charge of release them. As the weeks passed, our paralegal asked about the case each time he visited the police station, each time with growing concern. AdvocAid escalated the matter and contacted the Department of Public Prosecutions directly to ask them to charge or release Adama and Isatu. Finally, in November, three months after their arrest, they were finally released without charge.

It is vital that women and girls like Adama and Isatu receive legal support and representation when in conflict with the law. Without a proper defense, many would be stuck in pre-trial detention or wrongly convicted. This is why the paralegals at AdvocAid work passionately to ensure that women and girls across the country are advocated for and receive the access to justice they deserve. This cannot be done, however, without the help of our donors. We would like to thank you for your ongoing support and urge you to share the work of AdvocAid with your contacts. We encourage you to consider donating to this project, or to one of our other projects, so that we can provide legal advice and representation to more women and girls in Sierra Leone.

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*Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identities.

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