CARL-SL, the Center for Accountability and Rule of Law Sierra Leone, has taken on the task of offering legal assistance to the 50 individuals who were arrested by police officers during the protest that took place in Freetown on Tuesday. The Sierra Leone Police detained a total of 50 young individuals, one of whom was female, at various locations in the eastern part of Freetown on charges of unlawful assembly and disorderly behaviour. The arrests occurred in the Grassfield, Wellington, Congo Wata, and Portee areas of Freetown. Presently, the suspects are being held at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Freetown while investigations into the matter are ongoing.
CARL-SL currently provides legal aid services to individuals who find themselves in conflict with the law due to their involvement in election-related activities. Upon receiving reports of the arrests, lawyers employed by CARL-SL promptly visited the police stations to assist the suspects by informing them about the legal procedures and their rights. The lawyers engaged in brief interactions with each suspect before officially notifying the police that they would be representing the suspects throughout the course of the police investigations. They were present during the process of obtaining statements from some of the suspects.
CARL-SL issued a statement stating, "It is suspected that six of those arrested may be minors, but we are pleased to inform you that they have been transferred to the Family Support Unit for age verification procedures."
The statement further emphasized that CARL-SL will continue to offer legal services to the suspects throughout the investigation and stressed that the individuals should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.