Sierra Leone imprisons journalist under emergency Ebola measures

Police in Sierra Leone have jailed a journalist in the capital Freetown under emergency measures introduced to help the West African country cope with the Ebola epidemic, a senior police source said on Tuesday.

David Tam-Baryoh was sent to the Pademba Road prison on an executive order from the president, according to Chief Superintendent Ibrahim Koroma.

"The powers were derived from the Ebola emergency regulations the country is currently under,"Koroma said, without detailing the charges against the journalist or specifying the length of his detention.

The arrest may be linked to comments made by Tam-Baryoh on his popular radio programme MONOLGUE in which he appeared to challenge arrests made last week in the Kono district after Ebola-linked riots.

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists condemned the arrest.

The country is one of the worst affected by the largest outbreak on record, with more than 1,500 victims.