This report is based on the submission prepared for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Sierra Leone taking place in January 2016. In it, Amnesty International evaluates the implementation of recommendations accepted by Sierra Leone in its previous UPR, assesses the national human rights framework and the situation of human rights on the ground. Amnesty International remains concerned about continuing complaints of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, arbitrary arrests, and excessive use of force by police. Amnesty International is also concerned about the use of criminal defamation charges against journalists which undermine the right to freedom of expression and the ban on pregnant girls attending mainstream school and sitting exams.
