Michèle Eken, a senior researcher at Amnesty International’s west and central Africa office, said: “Amnesty International has already expressed its concern about the law used to prosecute Hawa Hunt … Several cases of possible violations of the right to freedom of expression under the Cybersecurity and Crime Act have previously been reported.”.
Fears grow for health of social media influencer arrested on live TV in Sierra Leone Hawa Hunt’s detention a month ago was politically motivated, say daughter and rights groups, who also raise concerns about her treatment in jail.
Hawa Hunt, a dual Canadian and Sierra Leonean citizen, was arrested on 22 December while starring in House of Stars, a reality TV show, for comments she made on social media about the president of Sierra Leone and the first lady in May 2023.
Fears are mounting over the mental and physical health of a social media influencer who has been in prison in Sierra Leone for more than a month after she was arrested on live television.
“People are holding back what they want to say in the media and I think that’s a terrible place to be in because we have to hold governments and individuals accountable when it comes to things like extreme violence and abuse,” she said.
