The ECOWAS Court of Justice has ordered the Republic of Sierra Leone to pay $25,000 as compensation to Mohamed Morlu, a Sierra Leonean citizen, for violating his fundamental human rights. Mr. Morlu sued the government after sustaining a gunshot wound during a student protest in March 2017.
Delivering the judgment on 28 February 2024, Justice Edward Amoako Asante declared that Sierra Leone violated Mr. Morlu’s right to security of the person, freedom from torture, and the right to an effective remedy, contrary to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention against Torture.
The Court ordered the government to pay for any upcoming surgery needed to remove the bullet still lodged in Mr. Morlu’s abdomen. It also ruled that the government must investigate, find, and prosecute the officers who shot Mr. Morlu during the protest and take measures to properly train its law enforcement officers on crowd control.
Mr. Morlu, a student at Njala University in Bo City, was injured during a protest march by students to present grievances to the Ministry of Education. Police officers from the Operation Support Division (OSD) fired shots to disperse the demonstrators, injuring Mr. Morlu and others. He was hospitalized, underwent surgery, and later sought medical treatment in Ghana due to complications from the bullet.
In its defense, the Sierra Leonean government claimed that the police fired warning shots in response to students blocking roads and obstructing traffic, and that Mr. Morlu was injured accidentally. However, the Court rejected this claim, finding that the firing of live ammunition into the crowd was unjustified and constituted a violation of Mr. Morlu’s human rights.
The panel of judges for the case included Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Judge Rapporteur, and Justices Gberi-Bè Ouattara and Sengu M. Koroma. The judgment underscores the importance of upholding human rights and ensuring accountability for violations, particularly in the context of law enforcement actions during protests.
