20 April 2005
CPJ DELEGATION CONCERNED FOR PRESS FREEDOM
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Gambia's president, Yahya Jammeh, to affirm his commitment to freedom of the press in the wake of recent attacks and threats against journalists, and the passage of new laws that have created deep mistrust between the government and the country's small independent press.
A CPJ delegation visited The Gambia from 6 to 12 April 2005 and met with senior government officials, local journalists and senior members of the Gambia Press Union. At a press conference in the capital, Banjul, on 12 April, CPJ said it was disappointed that Jammeh had refused to meet with the delegation, especially since "some of his public statements have contributed to the current tensions."
Local journalists interviewed by CPJ expressed deep concern at a series of unsolved arson attacks on independent media, including an April 2004 blaze that destroyed the printing press of "The Independent" newspaper.
They also described a climate of fear among the independent press, which has intensified in the wake of the December 2004 murder of Deyda Hydara. Hydara was a leading reporter known for criticising the government and speaking out against proposed laws that would restrict press freedom. Four months after his death, no one has been brought to justice. Although it saw indications that the National Intelligence Agency is carrying out an investigation in good faith, CPJ expressed skepticism that the inquiry would get far, especially in a "climate where journalists and witnesses are unwilling to cooperate with government investigators."
CPJ also expressed concerns about newly enacted laws that restrict freedom of the press. Days after Hydara was murdered, President Jammeh secretly approved legislation that imposes mandatory prison sentences for journalists found guilty of defamation or publishing false information. A second law increases five-fold the financial guarantee that all media outlets must post in order to register.
CPJ says Jammeh's hostility toward the media was shown in an interview with Gambia's state broadcaster after Hydara's death. According to a transcript, the president claimed to have given the press too much freedom and threatened to jail journalists who made unfounded accusations against him. Rejecting allegations of government involvement in Hydara's murder, he said: "If I have to hang somebody, I will hang him and go to sleep using the law."
Visit these links:
- Jammeh Snubs CPJ Mission: http://allafrica.com/stories/200504150931.html
- CPJ Report on The Gambia: http://www.cpj.org/attacks04/africa04/gambia.html
- MFWA: http://www.mfwaonline.org/en/updates/details.php?objID=0104
- Who Killed Deyda Hydara? http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12239
- Hydara Honoured with Free Expression Award: http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/811
- African Leaders Learn the Art of Spin: http://tinyurl.com/bcsxd
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