By Mabinty M. Kamara

CLAIM:

United States Government Slams Visa restrictions on some Sierra Leonean officials for undermining the Democratic Process in Sierra Leone 

VERDICT: TRUE https://www.state.gov/visa-restriction-policy-on-undermining-the-democratic-process-in-sierra-leone/

FULL TEXT:

A social media post that has been shared many times on Whatsapp and Facebook indicated that “The US has slammed Visa restrictions on Sierra Leonean officials responsible for “undermining the democratic process in the June 2023 elections.”

Methodology:

To verify this claim, SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom contacted the United States Embassy in Freetown. The Press and Media Coordinator Alhassan Jalloh confirmed that the said post is a decision of the US government, adding that the statement can be found on the US website.

Conclusion: The US Government has levied a visa restriction on some Sierra Leonean officials whose names are currently withheld.

“Due to privacy restrictions surrounding visa eligibility information, we do not publicly publish names of individuals who are affected by this policy,” Sarha Van Horne, Public Affairs Officer at the US embassy in Freetown said.

NOTE: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

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