.....AND SO SHALL THEY ALL BE EXPOSED......IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME

Sierra Leoneans, new to the internet at the time, did not realise how this medium could be manipulated in pursuance of the aims of the supporters of the AFRC/RUF coalition of evil otherwise known as the beasts and were caught in the carefully-woven web of lies, half-truths and deceit spun by the spider rebel web-mistress and her ilk.

Among the methods used to confuse, disorientate and conceal the truth were "discussion forums" where any question raised on the illegality and brutality of the junta was met with a volley of excuses on behalf of the junta as the manipulation continued. At one stage, a website said to be set up by a so-called Independent Journalists body from Sierra Leone went as far as to have the national coat of arms on the masthead in their bid to give it some kind of authoritative gloss!!!

Happy to note, many Sierra Leoneans are now internet savvy and have read through them though Kabs Kanu and his so-called independent forum tend to relapse now and again into the Ninja days damning any and all those who dare to raise the issue of his friends during junta days. Sierra Leoneans now know how to separate the wheat of truth from the chaff of lies spewed into the ether.

The internet has come a long way with Sierra Leoneans now able to source the origins of websites, domains etc etc and to be able to know that no matter how much a rogue web editor tries to hide, there is just no way out. International law requires full disclosure as and when necessary.

It was during those times, when like a pack of wolves, junta supporters would, like the mad running dogs that they were on the internet, pounce on any who dared to question and to expose what they had been up to as one journalist, one Victor Sylver found out after complaining about Seaga Shaw's gloss over of events in Sierra Leone and his role during the reign of AFRC/RUF junta human rights abusers on the BBC Network Africa programme.

This was the response that was printed then on the website of Expo Times by Seaga Shaw after he was asked to reply to the issues raised.

Whatever the organisation Freedom Forum had hoped to gain backfired as its Director for European operations of the organisation. one John Owen, did not want to believe that he had been duped by Seaga Shaw after he had backed him to the hilt as someone who was being persecuted for his views on free expression.

Strangely, the European operations of Freedom Forum closed soon after the terrible events of 9/11 and...as they say the rest is history.

So why did it collapse, at that time in modern world history of journalism?

We thought it worth your while to read this response to what was written then by Ibrahim Seaga Shaw and for you to see just what I meant by the wolf-pack syndrome when the junta journalists were asked to account for what they did during junta rule.

This is Gibril Gbanabome Koroma, apparently asked by Seaga Shaw to do his bit. You can well imagine why Seaga Shaw wanted his "debate" on the internet!!!

And the response from us?

TAKE A LOOK