Sierra Leonean authorities have detained and interrogated a Dutch journalist Sophie
Van Leeuwen, raising serious concerns regarding press freedom and the treatment of
foreign correspondents.
Van Leeuwen, Africa Correspondent for Dutch media organization RTL Niews, was
picked up on February 13, 2025 and taken to the headquarters of the Police
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Pademba Road, Freetown while she was
reportedly conducting documentary work.
The Sierra Leone police issued a statement later the same day to announce the
incident. It confirmed that Van Leeuwen is under investigation “in connection with
her activities in Sierra Leone,” but provided no further details. “Following her
compliance with the interrogation, Ms. Van Leeuwen was released to continue her
work,” the police said.
Some analysts have drawn a link between the arrest of Van Leeuwen and recent
reports that a Dutch national, Johannes Leijdekkers, who has been sentenced in
absentia for drug trafficking, has been living in Sierra Leone. It is suggested that the
government is intimidating the Dutch journalist whom it suspects is in the country to
dig into the scandal.
The President of Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL), Madam
Eastina Taylor, confirmed that she assisted Van Leeuwen to acquire media accreditation
before her arrival in Sierra Leone.
A local journalist who was with Van Leeuwen asserted that she had received
accreditation from the Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MoICE) as a
foreign journalist and had attended the Ministry’s latest press briefing.
This incident has raised once more concerns about the penchant of governments to
arrest foreign journalists on unsubstantiated accusations of espionage. In this case, Van
Leeuwen’s earlier attendance of a government press briefing confirms her formal
permission to carry out her journalistic work in the country.
“The Police have embarrassed the government by the way it handled this matter. If they had liaised with the independent Media Commission and the Ministry of Information, the matter of whether or not the journalist was accredited could have been established and this controversy avoided”, Dr Francis Sowah, Chairman of the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) told the MFWA in a telephone interview.
The Media Foundation for West Africa is deeply concerned about the intimidation of
Van Leeuwen and urges the Sierra Leonean government to ensure that she is able to
carry out her work without any further harassment.
