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Zainab Sheriff’s First Appeal: Assessing the Prospects for a Positive Outcome

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  Zainab Sheriff’s First Appeal: Assessing the Prospects for a Positive Outcome. {By way of legal commentary based on public reporting and the arguments disclosed so far.   (The High Court of Sierra Leone- Freetown.) The appeal of Ms Zainab Sheriff has become one of the most closely watched criminal cases in Sierra Leone in recent years. What began as a prosecution for incitement and threatening language has now evolved into a broader test of criminal procedure, fair trial rights, freedom of expression, and the limits of Magistrates' Court jurisdiction. The High Court, presided over by Justice Mark Ngegba, has already rejected the State's preliminary attempt to strike out the appeal and has ruled that the grounds advanced by the defence raise matters deserving full judicial consideration. That ruling alone elevated the appeal from a routine challenge to a case of genuine legal significance.  However, before reaching any firm conclusions, it is important to rememb...
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From Direct Action to Terrorism: Palestine Action and the Constitutional Rebalancing of Protest and Executive Power.

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COURT OF APPEAL OVERTURNS HIGH COURT RULING AGAINST UK GOVERNMET BAN. Palestine Action and the Expanding Boundaries of UK Counter-Terrorism Law: A Shift from Protest to Procription. (By Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr. 15 June 2026)   Appeal Court : C.J. Rt. Hon. Baroness Carr ABSTRACT: In this article I will discuss:  (A)   CORE CONCEPTUAL TRIANGLE INCLUDING : (1) Terrorism Law:  Broad definition, including  property damage. (2)   Human Rights : breach of ECHR  Articles 10 & 11 and  Proportionality and  ( 3) Executive Power: Discretion and   National security.  The case is an intersection of all three issues.  B. CRITICAL THEMES TO BE  UNDERSTOOD: (1) “ Protest vs Terrorism”:  Blurring of categories and l egal vs political classification. (2) “Chilling Effect”:  Deterrence of lawful conduct and  its a cceptance by the Court of Appeal ( 3) “Judicial Deference ”:  Courts step back whilst...
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THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE CLOSURE OF THE SIERRA LEONE RAILWAYS

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THE UNFORESEEN AND UNFORTUNATE DEMISE OF THE SIERRA LEONE RAILWAYS THROUGH NEGLET, GREED AND SELFISHNESS! (SLR: 1898 to 1975) Narrative by Solomon Pratt - 2012 @ age 92 https://youtu.be/7ZHQB8YAKj4?si=PbdbC-B6gH36u21r Clink Link- Solomon Pratt - SLR - in his own words SAJ PRATT -Ex GM - SLR    Xx FOOTNOTE:
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THE STATE Vs ZAINAB SHERIFF: A POSTSCRIPT!

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The Selective Sword of “Incitement”: Selective Justice and the Soul of a Democracy. The sentencing of popular entertainer and activist Zainab Sheriff on 14 April 2026 to over four years in prison has ignited a fierce debate regarding the limits of political speech in Sierra Leone.  While the state frames the verdict as a victory for public order, the case revives a critical legal question: when does the duty to prevent disorder become a tool for systematic political suppression? The Legal Ghost: Lessons from Common Law Sierra Leone’s Public Order Act 1965  remains rooted in a broad, colonial-era interpretation of "incitement" that English Law has since largely abandoned. To secure a conviction, the state must prove three core elements: an actus reus (an act capable of persuading another to commit a crime), a mens rea (the specific intent for that crime to occur), and communication of that message THERE IS NO DENAL T...
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