By Alhaji Haruna Sani
As UN decry human rights issues around the world, Canadian Honorary Consul resigned in protest of jailing of Hawa Hunts.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a stark warning that human rights are being “suffocated” globally by autocrats, war, and systemic oppression, an alarming statement that resonates strongly amid growing outrage over Sierra Leone’s detention of Calgary woman Hawa Hunt.
David Pratt, former Canadian defense minister and longtime Honorary Consul for Sierra Leone, has resigned in protest, condemning the country’s handling of Hunt’s case and citing a lack of respect for fundamental freedoms, including free speech.
Hunt, a 43-year-old mother of three, has been jailed in Sierra Leone since December 22 for allegedly transmitting “insulting messages” online against President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Bio.
Despite her public apology, she remains in detention under harsh conditions, with reports of beatings and mistreatment inside Freetown’s notorious Pademba Road Prison.
In another disturbing development, Dutch journalist Sophie Van Leeuwen was arrested while investigating the activities of notorious drug lord Jos Leijdekkers, who is reportedly sheltered in Sierra Leone.
Van Leeuwen recounted the incident on social media, explaining that her passport, phone, and camera were confiscated by police before she was transported through Freetown in a truck full of armed officers to a police station.
Similarly, the Lawyer Society, a surrogate of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, shared its own troubling encounter with the government. The organization reported that the Sierra Leonean authorities had threatened the President of the Law Society of Kenya which prevented her from attending an upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Sierra Leone, where she was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech.
Pratt’s resignation follows mounting pressure from human rights groups, including Amnesty International, which has called for Hunt’s immediate release and the decriminalization of defamation in Sierra Leone.
Guterres’ speech at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva underscored the crisis, warning that autocratic leaders worldwide are crushing opposition and trampling on international law.
He highlighted the dangers of unchecked state power, the suppression of free speech, and the plight of marginalized communities, concerns that directly mirror Hunt’s ordeal.
With Sierra Leone now under scrutiny, global human rights advocates are calling for urgent intervention, as Hunt’s case becomes symbolic of the broader fight against state oppression and the erosion of freedoms.
