Court Martials which handle matters relating to the misconduct of officers of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces is in existence in Sierra Leone. This tribunal is governed by its rules and procedures. In the past, no appeal was heard from any court martial and so whatever decision was arrived at was final. This gave room for miscarriage of justice and the execution of many officers of the armed forces. In 1998, A Court Martial was held in Sierra Leone which led to the conviction and execution of twenty four (24) officers for the crime of treason. This trial and the subsequent executions were greatly criticised both at home and abroad for the fact that these officers were not given the opportunity to appeal on the decision of the court martial and so justice was not fully dispensed of. This created the need for the rules and procedures to be revisited and reformed. Today, Sierra Leone can proudly say that this situation has been addressed and an appeal can now lie from a court martial decision. There are procedural guarantees in black and white for the hearing of matters in the Magistrate Courts, the High Courts, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Court Martial’s. The Local Courts as well have their procedures in accordance with their customs and traditions. Although all these procedural guarantees are in place, the reality is that the procedures are not always strictly followed. Thus, there are frequent adjournments of cases which greatly affect the dispensing of justice. In addition to the provision for tribunals to guarantee an individual’s right to have his course heard, the constitution, makes provision for an individual to be entitled to legal aid. There was a national legal aid scheme in Sierra Leone piloted by the Justice Sector Development Programme (JSDP) in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone (State number of cases covered when it ended). There are also other organisations that provide legal aid services such as Legal Assistance through Women Yearning for Equality, Rights and Social Justice (LAWYERS) and Timap for Justice. The Legal Aid Act 2012 has been touted as the peoples act and is reformist in nature. It guarantees the provision of legal aid or representation to any indigene who needs it and where the State cannot provide these services; the Act makes provision for them to be provided by non State Actors (Paralegals) as long as they have been duly accredited after under going the relevant training. Article 8 Freedom of conscience, the profession and free practice of religion shall be guaranteed. No one may, subject to law and order, be submitted to measures restricting the exercise of these freedoms. Legal framework Section 24 of the Constitution provides for the freedom of conscience and the free practise of religion except where such practice is not in the interest of public safety, public morality, public order or public health or to protect a religion from the unsolicited intervention of the members of any other religion. General practise 12