Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and intersex activities are considered to be forbidden in both the Holy Quran and the Bible, it are prohibited by Muslims and Christians in Sierra Leone and Africa as a whole.
In Sierra Leone LGBTI activities are considered to be state crime, so practitioners have little or no protection from the law, despite pressure from few Civil Rights Activists and Media Houses, practitioner, including activists, are targeted by communities for their stance.
Alhassan Mansaray and his friends, according to our correspondence in Yealh Chiefdom, Gbonkokaleken, are the latest victims of physical attacks and have been declared wanted by the Sierra Leone Police, on allegation that he was one of the key players to the incident on the 7th and 8th April 2022.
It was disclosed that Alhassan and his gay friends were having a sendoff party for one of their friends, who is traveling to the United States of America when news broke out that gays were having a party at the said location.
Angry youths then descended on the party and attacked the guests. According to our source, Alhassan Mansaray quickly fled the scene, but on the following day, 8th April 2022, a Friday, whilst Alhassan was at the central mosque (Masjid), performing his usual role as interpreter for his father, Alhaji Foday Mansaray, who is the Chief Imam, angry youths then stormed the Masjid, demanding that Alhassan be relieved of his role as interpreter in the mosque, and explained to stakeholders what happened on the previous night.
Though his father pleaded to the youths to wait after the Juma Prayers, but they insisted that Alhassan should step aside. An argument then ensued, resulting in an open confrontation between Alhassan, his elder brother Mohamed Mansaray, his father, and the angry youths, resulting in a fight where his father was beaten, but Alhassan and his brother were said to have escaped the attack.
But an incident that took place shortly after their escape from the mosque, in which the ‘poro’ society (a male secret society) shrine was set ablaze, saw residents and the angry youths accusing Alhassan and his brother of being responsible for the carnage, a claim their father had denied .
His brother was later apprehended by members of the secret society, while Alhassan was chased from a local health facility, where he went to seek medical treatment after the attack at the mosque. Sources say that he was able to escape through the help of the health workers. Further investigations on the sexuality of Alhassan revealed that at an early age, his father discovered that his son was slowly getting into the practice of homosexuality, and he is said to have taken him to an herbalist to treat him, as such an act is a taboo, and could result in death of the suspect.
It was also disclosed that in the light of this development, Alhassan was hurriedly married off at an early age so as to end his desire for the same sex. As this information becomes increasingly widespread, members of the masjid demanded that Pa Mansaray, the chief Imam should relinquish his position, because he had an idea that his son was a gay but failed to take the necessary steps as a true Muslim.
This medium tried to reach Pa Mansaray, but was told that he is responding to treatment at an undisclosed health center, while one of his sons was detained at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) helping the police in their investigations. Alhassan is said to have gone into hiding, and his whereabouts are yet unknown.
