(MFWA/IFEX) – Lamin Cham, a stringer of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in The Gambia, was arrested on 30 May 2006 by the security forces (see IFEX alerts of 6 and 2 June 2006). [Cham was released on 6 June.] Omar Bah, news editor of the privately-owned “Daily Observer” has been missing since 12 June […]
(MFWA/IFEX) – Lamin Cham, a stringer of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in The Gambia, was arrested on 30 May 2006 by the security forces (see IFEX alerts of 6 and 2 June 2006). [Cham was released on 6 June.]
Omar Bah, news editor of the privately-owned “Daily Observer” has been missing since 12 June 2006, the source said.
Colleagues of Bah, who are expressing fear that he might have been arrested, told the source that he expressed concern regarding an impending situation the last time they heard from him.
It is not clear whether these latest arrests and disappearances are connected to a 25 May police directive. The order asked the general public to assist in arresting certain journalists who the police claim continuously send damaging reports about President Yahya Jammeh’s administration to a defunct US-based online newspaper, “Freedom Newspaper”.
It also ordered the journalists to report to the nearest police station within 24 hours or face prosecution.
The directive, which was contained in a press release published in the “Daily Observer”, listed a number of people and their personal information including telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, and alleged that they contributed articles to the defunct “Freedom Newspaper”.
Following this, three journalists whose names were mentioned in the release were arrested, after they reported to the police. They were later handed over to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
They included Pa Modou Fall, who works with the national broadcaster “Gambia Radio and Television Services”, Musa Sheriff of “The Gambia News & Report Magazine” weekly independent magazine, and Malick Mboob, formerly of the privately-owned “Daily Observer” (see IFEX alerts of 2 June, 30 and 26 May 2006). [Fall and Sheriff were released on 30 May.]
