STATEMENT ON THE BREACH OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TRAVEL BAN AND MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS OF PRESIDENT MAADA BIO, FOR THE ATTENTION OF RELEVANT US DEPARTMENTS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, THE OFFICE OF THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE PRESIDENT OF METROPOLITAN COLLEGE OF NEW YORK.
As officials of the United States Immigration Department, the US Border and Law enforcement Agencies, Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad, may be aware, there remains a travel ban and movement restriction on President Maada Bio during his official visit to the UN General Assembly annual meeting in New York this September, 2018 .
It is important to note that such travel ban and movement restriction was imposed on Julius Maada Bio for his accepted participation in committing mass atrocities in Sierra Leone including the involvement in the cold-blooded murder of a pregnant woman and 28 others during the 1992 -1996 Junta Rule without due process.
Julius Maada Bio was also deported from the United States of America after 1997 for numerous acts of domestic violence and this can be authenticated by US Immigration and Border Officials.
Since his deportation, Mr. Maada Bio has made many attempts to travel to the United States of America but was refused entry visa by the United States Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
In addition, Mr. Maada Bio in 2012, whilst in Canada, attempted to use the US-Quebec, Canada border to illegally enter into the United States of America but was advised on the consequence.
While acknowledging diplomatic protocols and respecting the sanctity of the United Nations Assembly as an open platform for Heads of States and Governments, we must hasten to remind all the above mentioned institutions , particularly the Metropolitan College in New York and concerned individuals that Mr. Maada Bio is under US travel restriction and that his visit to the US is solely to participate in the UN General Assembly in a legally prescribed vicinity .
In other words, Mr. Maada Bio would be in breach of US travel ban and movement restrictions should he opt to conduct himself or participate in any business that is beyond the United Nations General Assembly Summit. We wish to advise Mr. Julius Maada Bio to conform with the purpose of his visit and issuance of a visa to avoid unnecessary embarrassment.
Moreover, We wish to admonish the Metropolitan College of New York through its President, Joanne Passaro, Ph.D, who is copied here, to protect the unique reputation of such institution and not to acquiesce or abrogate a platform to an individual like Mr Maada Bio who is the subject matter of forensic reports on violence, intimidation, torture, incarcerations including sexual violence committed against women, children and defenceless civilians in Sierra Leone until recently as last week .
Reports of human right violations have also been brought forward and debated in the British House of Commons on the 4th of September, 2018, while such atrocities under president Maada Bio has also been brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Congressional Leaders in the United States, the Human Rights Watch and other international organisations in the business of protecting human rights and curbing impunity.
We are also providing the Metropolitan College of New York a dossier on human rights violations which has been committed in Sierra Leone including murder, gang rape, forceful eviction of women and children due to the instruction and active participation of Mr Maada Bio and a recent raid on orders from State House on defenseless civilians at a village at Mile 91 .
Part of this dossier are pictorial and video evidence on the reviving and arming of a violent militia known as the Kamajors, a group notoriously guilty of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international human rights law.
The Kamajors are known by the hybrid UN Special Court for Sierra Leone for committing acts of terror including gang rape and sexual slavery.
Recent violent attacks have also been directed against judges of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone and Members of Parliament in Sierra Leone and we have in our possession video evidence of this Kamajor brutality as sanctioned by Mr. Maada Bio.
The same group under the instruction of Mr. Maada Bio has engaged in ethnic violence as we saw in the on the 10th of September 2018 as well as job ethnic cleansing with a tribal and ethnic agenda. Through the instruction and command of Mr. Maada Bio, defenseless civilians including Women and Children were killed, rape, killing and their properties destroyed in the Northern region of Sierra Leone while people from the Northern region have been subjected to extreme violence since Mr. Maada Bio became President.
Furthermore, We must hasten to admonish those individuals who think they can circumvent US laws for political posturing. Any meeting or filibustering by anybody or group purporting to be organizers of a watershed investment summit may amount to aiding and abetting the breach of travel restriction and by necessary implications they could be seen as supporters of human rights violations including sexual violence against poor women and children in Sierra Leone and may be complicit with a smear on their reputation .
Furthermore, the Organizing Committee of Concerned Sierra Leoneans for Democracy and Human Rights continues to monitor and tabulate atrocities that are being committed in Sierra Leone upon the orders of President Maada Bio.
We have also taken note of recent atrocities including rape and forceful eviction of women and children from the North by the recently resurrected Kamajor Armed Militia upon the instruction of President Maada Bio.
We wish to inform all Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad that at the end justice will be served. Meanwhile, we are very proud to be having the audience of UN officials to whom we shall hand over a dossier of ongoing human rights violations in Sierra Leone and at the same working to ensure investigations of atrocities committed in Sierra Leone since April 2018 when Mr. Maada Bio was elected President after a controversial election.
Thank you.
Released by the Steering Committee, Concerned Sierra Leoneans for Democracy and Human Rights
Copy:
Office of the UN Secretary-General
The International Criminal Court (ICC)
US Department of State
UK Minister of International Development
Canadian Minister of International Development
The World Bank
The International Monetary Fund
The European Union
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) — with Alfred Williams.
