As It Happens7:23Canadian imprisoned in Sierra Leone for criticizing the president and first lady
Calgarian Alicia Hunt says her mother is wasting away in a violent and overcrowded prison, all because she criticized Sierra Leone’s president and first lady on social media.
Hawa Hunt, a dual citizen of Canada and Sierra Leone, was arrested on live TV in December while shooting a reality series in Freetown, the West African country’s capital city, and has been imprisoned there ever since.
During a brief video call from prison last week, Alicia says her 42-year-old mother appeared gaunt, her eyes sunken and her skin covered with mosquito and bedbug bites, a stark contrast to the strong and glamorous woman who has made a name for herself online as a social media fitness influencer.
She told her daughter she’s not getting enough to eat behind bars, and that the guards there regularly beat her and the other prisoners.
“She kind of, like, tried to laugh it off, saying, ‘But it’s normal here in Africa,’ which is, you know, very concerning to me,” Alicia, 20, told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.
“This was what she could disclose to me over a video call that was being watched over by the prison guards that were there. So … who knows what else they’re doing to her behind closed doors?”
CBC was unable to reach the government of Sierra Leone for comment.
Amnesty International calls for her release
Hawa was arrested on Dec. 22, 2024, while appearing as a contestant on the TV show House of Stars, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
She faces two charges of “transmitting insulting messages via a computer system” under Sierra Leone’s 2021 Cybersecurity and Crime Act, a law Amnesty International says is being used to suppress freedom of speech.
Hawa is a well-known social media and TV personality in Sierra Leone, and has more than 100,000 followers across Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, where she often posts about fitness and wellness.
But it was a recently resurfaced political post from 2023 that led to her arrest, in which she accuses President Julius Maada Bio of trying to buy people’s votes, and insults his wife, Fatima Bio.
She has been repeatedly denied bail, Amnesty says.
“We are really concerned about the arbitrary arrest and detention of Hawa Hunt because we believe that, by now, she should have been released,” Solomon Sogbandi, director of Amnesty International Sierra Leone, told CBC’s The National.
WATCH | Canadian arrested on live TV:
Alicia admits her mother technically broke the law with her video, but says she doesn’t deserve the treatment she’s had to endure.
She’s calling on the Canadian government to help, but says they’ve done very little so far.
“I know my mom does have to follow the laws of Sierra Leone as she’s there,” she said. “However, I’m asking for them to intervene on a Canadian citizen being abused and being held in inhumane conditions.”
In an emailed statement, Global Affairs spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said Canada is “aware of the arrest of a Canadian citizen in Sierra Leone.”
“Consular officials are in contact with local authorities and are providing consular service. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed,” the statement reads.
YouTube apology was forced, says daughter
Less than a week after her arrest, Hawa appeared in a YouTube video apologizing for criticizing the president and first lady.
The video is titled “Exclusive Interview with Hawa Hunt” and appears on a channel called I.B Blog Online TV, which bills itself as “a digital media platform covering live events, politics, entertainment, sports, documentaries, and more.”
In it, a man with a microphone sits close to Hawa on a couch and leans over her as he asks her questions about her social media post. She smiles as she says she’s “apologetic” and “remorseful,” and insists that she’s been treated professionally by the police and has not faced any harassment or abuse.
“I do believe that my mother was forced to make that video,” Alicia said. “None of it seemed natural.”
When the apology video appeared online, Alicia says nobody in the family had yet been in touch with Hawa.
“We were still trying to figure out how to reach out to her. So for her to, you know, be detained and then just pop up in an interview all of the sudden as if she’s a free woman was extremely concerning,” she said.
Alicia says she has hired a lawyer for her mother, and is reaching out to politicians and the Canadian embassy in Sierra Leone. She says she also wrote a personal “heartfelt” letter to the president and his wife, asking for lenience.
She’s hoping that, at the very least, Hawa will be granted bail and will be able to see a doctor. But what she really wants, she says, is for her mother to receive a full pardon and come back home.
“I know my mom is proud of me and proud of the work I’ve done for her, and I’m going to keep pushing until I get that reunion,” she said. “I just can’t wait until she’s back here at home with me in Calgary so I can, you know, give her the treatment that she deserves.”