Dutch investigative journalist Sophie van Leeuwen has claimed that there is no press freedom in Sierra Leone after she was arrested and later released without her memory card.

Van Leeuwen, who reports for RTL Nieuws, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her ordeal, stating:>

“I left Freetown at night, on a ferry across the lagoon. My work has been destroyed. My colleague Joseph Turay fears for his life. There’s no press freedom in Sierra Leone.”

The journalist was reportedly in the country investigating claims that Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted drug kingpins, was being hosted in Sierra Leone.

Leijdekkers, 33, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Rotterdam court on June 25, 2023, for smuggling over seven tonnes of cocaine.

Her arrest and subsequent allegations have sparked discussions about press freedom in Sierra Leone, raising concerns over the treatment of journalists conducting investigative work in the country.