Mohamed Jalloh, a resident of Yarawadogu, Koinadugu District in the northern province of Sierra Leone, was allegedly beaten to the point of death by a mob of irate youths who accused him of engaging in sexual intercourse with one Michel who is reported to have been beaten to death.
According to reliable sources, Mohamed Jalloh was reportedly caught by his father at home allegedly having sex with Michel. It is said that it was his father, who is an Imam and who regarded the act as “un-Islamic”, that alerted the mob which later attacked the couple.
But luckily for Mohamed Jalloh, he was able to jump over a fence after being mercilessly beaten and escaped from the angry mob through the help of a friend. Reports also indicate that his mother, brother, and sisters have also fled Koinadugu District and their whereabouts are still unknown.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Sierra Leone face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens. Male same-sex sexual activity, whether in public or private, is illegal in Sierra Leone and carries a possible penalty of life imprisonment with hard labour.
The few Sierra Leoneans who admitted knowing someone they believed to be homosexual said that in no case would anyone openly admit it, and if they did, they would be shunned by their families and friends and possibly threatened by community members.
In 2004, Fannyann Eddy was murdered. She was the founder of the first LGBT rights organization in Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association. According to initial reports, several men brutally raped and murdered her at her office. Many human rights activists believed that she was targeted for being gay and because of her work on behalf of women and the LGBT community.
In the case of Mohamed Jalloh, he might still be in hiding or might have fled to neighbouring Liberia fearing that if seen he might be beaten to death like Michel.