Sierra Leone: The African Parliamentary Press Network (APPN) has called on the Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas and the Leadership of the Sierra Leone Parliament to swiftly work with all stakeholders to investigate and resolve circumstances that led to the ban of Melvin Tejan Mansaray from covering the Sierra Leone Parliament.
Monday February 10, 2025, marks exactly one month (10th January 2025 to 10th February 2025), since the Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Honorable Solomon Segehpoh Thomas, declared Melvin Tejan Mansaray, Parliamentary Journalist and Political Analyst and Social Commentator, persona non grata, which in effect indefinitely barred him from accessing the Chamber and precinct of the Sierra Leone Parliament on allegations of reckless and insulting criticism.
As a network representing parliamentary reporters and communication officers across Africa, we have been closely monitoring this development, which has elicited significant reactions from key stakeholders, including the Sierra Leone Parliamentary Press Gallery (PPG) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).
Find below the full statements from the APPN
