Parliament has just recently passed Counter-Terrorism Act of 2025 into law, but  Opposition Leader, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, says it is a target to the opposition.

The law was signed into law on Tuesday 11 March 2025.

The MP talked of the risk of misusing the definition of terrorist acts to mean otherwise which may include violence against persons, damage on property, and other  related serious offences.

Kargbo said if no  exemptions defined, the law may be used to target opposition groups, protesters, and those voicing dissents against the government.

The Opposition Leader made reference to 2011 African Union meeting in Malawi, in which African countries were able to develop a model law on counter-terrorism.

He noted that this model included specific exemptions for acts of advocacy, protest, dissent, and industrial actions, and such could not be classified as terrorist activities.

However, the Sierra Leone government’s proposed bill omitted these important exemptions, he said. The MP raised concerns about potential misuse of the implementation of the new law which might be used to stifle members of the opposition, thus limiting basic democratic rights of persons.

Kargbo emphasized that the opposition would not support the Counter-Terrorism Act in its current form without the inclusion of these safeguard standards borrowed from Malawi.

He underscored that such laws must stand the test of time and should not be used arbitrarily.

The opposition’s position was clear: they were against terrorism and are also against any misuse of the law to silence dissent or movements of opposition members.

The Opposition Leader also noted that the government’s refusal to incorporate exemption  clauses further deepen the opposition’s concerns about the law’s potential to be used against some political opponents.

He said the opposition was not against fighting terrorism but it is advocating for everyone’s protections including opposition politicians to prevent the law from being used to  weaponize people who may express their dissents.