December 19th, 2008

Escape from Sierra Leone leaves couple in limbo in US

The News Review:

- Escape from Sierra Leone leaves couple in limbo in US
- Sierra Leone: Chinese Legislator to Promote Cooperation With Country
- Sierra Leone: WAANSA rganizes Second Regional Civil Society Forum
- Sierra Leone: Magistrate Fisher Urges Police Journalists

Escape from Sierra Leone leaves couple in limbo in US
MiamiHerald.com FL 
After a six-year legal battle Akapo 65 who has glaucoma and high blood pressure and his wife who suffers from gastritis anemia and has difficulty walking were arrested at their Tampa Bay home ct. 20 by ICE’s Fugitive perations Team. An immigration judge ruled the Akapos should be returned to Sierra Leone because the nation — with its democratically elected legislature — has been at peace since 2002. The Akapos ”no longer [have] a well-founded fear of persecution” ruled the judge whose decision will be reviewed following a critical federal appeals court opinion last month. Eugenia marked her 61st birthday Thursday while jailed at a Broward immigration detention center as the government seeks to deport them back to Sierra Leone. Advocates for the couple including members of the Union Street United Methodist Church in Clearwater where Anthony is a sexton are outraged the couple remain in jail even after scoring a significant legal victory. Last month an Atlanta appeals court halted the Akapos’ deportation.

Sierra Leone: Chinese Legislator to Promote Cooperation With Country
AllAfrica.com Washington 
GA_googleFillSlot( “AllAfrica_Story_Inset” );Wu Bangguo made this statement when he met Sierra Leone’s speaker of parliament justice Abel Nathaniel Stronge. Wu said China valued its relations with Sierra Leone adding that the two counties would start cooperation programmes agreed by the two states as soon as possible. “China and Sierra Leone should increase cooperation in such areas as resource exploitation agriculture and infrastructure construction and should make active efforts to explore financing channels and manners” he said adding that the two countries would encourage more business cooperation especially in large-scale. Wu said the NPC and Sierra Leone’s parliament should make more efforts to help promote economic and trade cooperation and increase exchanges in experience of legal system in a bid to advance Sino-Sierra Leone relations.

Sierra Leone: WAANSA rganizes Second Regional Civil Society Forum
AllAfrica.com Washington 
GA_googleFillSlot( “AllAfrica_Story_Inset” );The objective of the forum was to review civil society nature and role in combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa and it was funded by the ECWAS commission’s small arms control programme based in Mali. The conference brought together representatives of civil society national networks and coalitions across West Africa media practitioners representatives of national commissions government officials experts on small arms control and peace building and development partners among others. WAANSA president Baffour Amoa said he was very happy to congratulate the ECWAS commission for the collaborative stance its took to empower and work with civil society organizations to fight against the menace of small arms. “ur joint missions to member states and the continuous lobbying and campaigning have almost brought the ECWAS convention on small arms and light weapons their ammunition and other related materials to the point which we believe will enter into force either by the end of this year or early next year” he said adding that the confab was an annual forum for representatives from civil society organizations working against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa.
Related from Streetlevelpdx: Gallery Walk to benefit Cancer Society

Sierra Leone: Magistrate Fisher Urges Police Journalists
AllAfrica.com Washington 
GA_googleFillSlot( “AllAfrica_Story_Inset” );Magistrate Adrian Fisher made this statement during a three-day workshop organized by the Sierra Leone reporters union in collaboration with the Sierra Leone police at the Kingtom police mess in Freetown. He said it was incumbent on all journalists to observe the law by publishing thoroughly investigated stories based on facts. Fisher said the public order act was instituted to check the excesses of certain people who found pleasure in tarnishing the character of decent people in society. He said the act protect the state and citizenry against any issue that may lead to public disorder and malicious propaganda. Relevant LinksWest AfricaLegal and Judicial AffairsPress and MediaSierra Leone”The act is important as it help to protection the state.

 
 
 

Leave a Reply