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...