GEORGE OPPONG WEAH is a much- admired name in Sierra Leone. A soccer -crazy nation, Sierra Leoneans are among the millions of football fans all over the world who loved Mr. Weah for his prodigious soccer skills on the world stage when he won every conceivable higher accolade–African Footballer of the Year and World Footballer of the Year.
But the George Oppong Weah who has become a politician and fortuitously President of the neighboring Republic of Liberia has long lost the admiration of a good number of Sierra Leoneans. In fact, he is despised by many Sierra Leoneans presently suffering under the bondage of the blood-stained, undemocratic and tyrannical rule of President Maada Bio because they believe that he is colluding with the man who has brought untold misery, agony, tears, suppression of their democratic and human rights and oppression to the country since he became President of Sierra Leone in 2018.
Sierra Leoneans got very angry with President Weah after the August 10 food riots in their country last year , when instead of first advising himself accurately about the sufferings of Sierra Leoneans that triggered the demonstrations, Weah went in immediate and misguided support for President Bio, according to the Liberian News Agency ( LINA ) when he “called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to speedy investigate and bring to book the perpetrators of the recent violence in the Republic of Sierra Leone. ” Weah ‘s comment, which seemed to support Bio’s stupid and insane allegation that the demonstrators were terrorists, sparked vicious attacks on him in the social media from agitated Sierra Leoneans who accused him of running his mouth in their internal matters without trying to understand the issues.
Now, a year after that unfortunate incident, President Weah has done it again, this time angering Liberians and Sierra Leoneans for violating international human rights laws and international humanitarian conventions by honoring a request from Bio to extradite to Sierra Leone a police chief facing trumped-up charges . Weah granted the request, though he was aware that Officer Mohamed Turay ( Yeaty Yeaty ) faced the prospects of torture, unjust treatment , illegal trials and possibly death in a country where fundamental human rights are being brutally violated and the President’s security officers and thugs routinely arrest and secretly kill innocent citizens who run into disfavor with his government.
The allegations of the Bio SLPP Government that Turay was part of a coup plot to overthrow President Bio are widely regarded as false by many Sierra Leoneans who consider the charges as trumped up to distract the country and the international community from the present standoff between Bio and the U.S, the EU and international elections observers who accuse him of rigging the June 24 General Elections.
According to the Liberian Daily Observer, Attorney Tiawan Gongloe , a highly respected human rights lawyer in Liberia, “denounced the extradition of ex-Sierra Leone Police Chief, Mohammed Turay, as a “conspiracy” between the governments of Liberia and Sierra Leone, specifically implicating President George Weah in the process. ” The paper went on to say that“President George Weah just wanted to please Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio,” and that “One thing that was extremely striking there was [Turay’s] inability to have been heard under the Liberian jurisdiction, as provided by the extradition hearing.” He went on to say that “The extradition was politically biased, inadequate, and subject to external influence and so, basically, from my point of view, the action is a conspiracy, ” and in complete violation of 1994 ECOWAS protocols and the rule governing extradition. Gongloe believes that Turay “should have been represented by a lawyer before his extradition, which did not happen. Our government should have carefully analyzed the extradition request through the lens of Liberian law. ”
The Front Page Africa newspaper of Liberia said that “the decision ( To extradite Turay, Ed. )has sparked controversy, with international human rights organizations raising concerns about the potential violation of Mr. Toure’s rights in Sierra Leone.” The paper reported that “The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) released a statement on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, urging the Liberian government to carefully consider the extradition request in light of international human rights obligations.
Cllr. T. Dempster Brown, Chairperson of INCHR, highlighted several key points from international agreements that should guide the decision on extradition:
Extradition should not be granted for offenses regarded as political or connected to political activities.
Extradition should not be allowed if there are substantial grounds to believe it is motivated by factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or status.
Extradition should not proceed if it violates provisions of multilateral international conventions.
Extradition should be denied if the requested person faces the risk of torture, inhuman treatment, or if they have not received adequate guarantees in criminal proceedings.
Furthermore, INCHR cited Liberia’s commitment to the 1969 OAU Convention, the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, all of which emphasize the protection of individuals from threats to life, physical integrity, and liberty.
INCHR underscored that there is no formal extradition agreement between Liberia and Sierra Leone that would warrant the extradition of Mr. Toure. The organization urged the Liberian government not to honor the extradition request under these circumstances.”
Sierra Leone social media platforms have seen irritated Sierra Leoneans attacking President Weah and calling him a Bio puppet that does not care for his integrity and legacy like the very Bio he is trying to please.
