Dr. Bah plans to travel to several countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, where he will meet with human rights organizations and policy leaders. During these meetings, he will address ongoing violations of free speech and academic freedom in Sierra Leone, including the death threats and harassment he and the Africanist Press have faced after uncovering high-profile corruption within the country.
A historian and investigative journalist, Dr. Bah specializes in the medical and legal history of West Africa. He earned his PhD in History from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Service at the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies (CCHS). Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brown University’s Watson School for International and Public Affairs.
As a co-founder and editor-in-chief of the independent online media outlet Africanist Press, Dr. Bah has faced death threats and cyber harassment over the past six years due to his public interest investigations into government corruption. His work has revealed financial scandals involving Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio and the country's First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio. In response, government officials and their supporters in Sierra Leone have initiated a campaign of harassment against him, accusing him of treason and inciting rebellion. As a result, Dr. Bah has been living in exile in the United States and has been unable to return to Sierra Leone, despite his desire to continue his work there.
Several human rights organizations and advocates for press freedom, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the American Historical Association (AHA), the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS), and the Network of Concerned Historians (NCH), have condemned the attacks and harassment targeting Dr. Bah and the Africanist Press. Despite international condemnation from these organizations, these acts of harassment have continued with impunity.
The tour aims to engage European and African leaders in ensuring that their ongoing collaboration with the Sierra Leonean government prioritizes the protection of fundamental rights for all Sierra Leoneans, including the rights to free speech and academic freedom.
"The goal of the tour is to build solidarity in support of our campaign for free speech and academic freedom in Sierra Leone. We hope to mobilize more global voices in defense of free speech and democracy, not just in Sierra Leone, but across Africa," stated Dr. Bah.
You can read Dr. Bah's complete statement on the harassment here: https://africanistpress.com/free-speech-and-academic-freedom-in-sierra-leone-the-case-of-the-africanist-press/
For background and context, read here: https://allafrica.com/stories/202407230033.html
For additional information, please review the following statements:
Committee to Protect Journalists Statement regarding Dr. Bah's situation: https://cpj.org/2022/05/sierra-leone-publisher-chernoh-alpha-bah-threatened-with-death-charges-of-treason/
Reporters Without Borders statement condemning the impunity surrounding the cyber-harassment of Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah: https://rsf.org/en/sierra-leone-rsf-condemns-impunity-around-cyber-harassment-investigative-journalist-chernoh-alpha-m
Statement from the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS) in defense of Dr. Bah: https://concernedscientists.org/2025/05/postdoctoral-associate-at-brown-university-still-unable-to-travel-to-west-africa/
