Sierra Leone’s Exiled Journalist Faces Persistent Cyber-Harassment, RSF Warns of Deepening Impunity

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned a sustained campaign of cyber-harassment and death threats against Sierra Leonean investigative journalist Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, who has been living in exile in the United States after exposing alleged government corruption. RSF highlights that these attacks—linked to his reporting on embezzlement involving high-ranking officials—remain unchecked, and the Sierra Leonean authorities have failed to safeguard his safety or allow him to return home.

Dr. Bah, editor of the Africanist Press and a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University, has faced increasing online intimidation for more than four years. Targeted by orchestrated smear campaigns, threatening phone calls, intrusive emails, social media hacks, and even death threats, his situation underscores a troubling trend: political figures leveraging digital channels to silence critics. A coalition of academics, including the American Historical Association, has demanded that President Bio guarantee his personal safety and academic freedom, noting that harassment prevents Bah from returning to continue vital research.

RSF underscores the severity of the cyber-aggression: these are not isolated incidents but aligned with broader governmental efforts to suppress independent journalism. Documents reveal that Sierra Leonean security agencies may have contracted foreign cyber-intelligence services, and domestic political actors have pushed the Independent Media Commission to restrict their reporting. Despite international demands, the Sierra Leonean government has taken no concrete steps to investigate threats or address the legal repercussions.

This environment of impunity emboldens attackers, intensifies self-censorship, and undermines civic discourse. RSF is calling for urgent action: the establishment of investigative inquiries; security assurances for Dr. Bah; repeal of cyber-harassment tools; and systemic reforms to protect journalists from state-enabled digital repression.

Dr. Bah’s ordeal serves as a stark reminder that press freedom transcends borders. The silence of the state, coupled with the use of cyber-tactics to target investigative voices, poses a grave threat—not only to one journalist—but to the functioning of democracy in Sierra Leone.