Advancing Rule of Law, Promoting Justice and Human Rights

The New Direction government will as a matter of utmost urgency undertake an overhaul of the judiciary and the justice delivery system in the country with a view to restoring public confidence in its independence and impartiality and make justice accessible and available for all. Specifically, the next SLPP government will:

• Facilitate a national dialogue on 'A New Justice and Rule of Law System for 21st Century Sierra Leone.” This will lead to the preparation of a comprehensive Capacity Building Plan for the Justice Sector and increase budgetary allocations to the justice sector
• Introduce legislative measures to further reinforce the independence of the justice system and reforms to demystify the law to expand access to justice
• Train a cadre of 'paralegals' to support the sector in the country's extreme rural communities where the services of trained legal practitioner's currently pose a huge challenge.
• Strengthen and capacitate the Legal Aid Programme to continue to provide legal aid services to our indigent and vulnerable citizens
• Promote social dialogue with the Sierra Leone Bar Association to enhance effective and efficient judicial service delivery.
• Consider the necessity to pursue a claim for international reparations arising out of the Civil War
• Strengthen the Judicial Service Commission for the effective management of an independent justice system and for raising it to recognized international standard.
• Make justice easily accessible by 'Tooling and Equipping' of the entire Justice sector – from police to the Supreme Court' through comprehensive capacity building.
• Ensure effective partnership between justice sector and civil society
• Ensure that the Law Reform Commission is adequately resourced and strengthened to execute its mandate.
• Promote and protect fundamental human rights by establishing specialized Human Rights Courts in the judicial system and enforce a right based Bail and Sentencing policy.
• Request technical assistance from the Commonwealth for augmentation of the justice system
• Review legal education and promote measures for establishing an effective, fair and independent regulation of legal education and practice in Sierra Leone
• Separate the role of Minister of Justice from the office of Attorney-General