52nd SESSION OF THE UPR WORKING GROUP
Statement Norway
on the on the human rights situation in Sierra Leone
delivered by Mr Tormod C. ENDRESEN, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organizations.
Check against delivery
12 mai 2026
Vice-President, ministers,
Norway welcomes Sierra Leone and commends their efforts to strengthen gender equality through the relevant legislation adopted in 2022 and 2024. We also commend the abolishment of the death penalty.
However, we remain concerned by the human rights situation.
Norway recommends that Sierra Leone:
1.Strengthen efforts to prevent and enforce laws against sexual and gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation and child marriages, and enhance prevention, protection and awareness-raising, including through engagement in the communities with traditional leaders.
2.Take concrete steps to ensure freedom of expression and peaceful assembly by protecting journalists, human rights defenders and civil society actors, and by ending arbitrary arrests and harassment in line with international human rights standards.
3.Strengthen rule of law and accountability by ensuring policing practices and public order laws comply with international human rights obligations, including implementing the November 2024 ECOWAS Court ruling on discriminatory loitering laws.
Thank you.