By Gleaner Newspaper

President Julius Maada Bio’s government is coming under fire for using the Cyber Security and Crime Act to target journalists and discourage critical reporting.

Civil society organisations and human-rights activists warn that the law is being used to jeopardise freedom of expression, with several officials and Members of Parliament reportedly invoking the statute against critical media figures.

Thomas Dixon, chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors and managing editor of the New Age, was recently summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department for publishing a news alert, which many argue violates the reasonable scope of cyber law.

Dixon was interrogated at the CID for eight hours, and he was reportedly threatened with detention.

In a related incident, Sahr Matturi, a senior reporter for the Standard Times, was detained by the CID on allegations of cyberbullying and cyberstalking before being released on August 28, 2025.

Rights advocates describe these cases as part of a larger, more concerning pattern of arbitrary arrest and intimidation aimed at silencing critical press voices.