(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is strongly condemning the arrest of three journalists in The Gambia. IPI is informed that Baba Galeh Jallow, editor-in-chief of the new bi-weekly newspaper, “The Independent”, and Yorro Jallow, the paper’s managing editor and vice president of the Gambia Press Union, were arrested by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) on Sunday 1 […]
(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is strongly condemning the arrest of three journalists in
The Gambia. IPI is informed that Baba Galeh Jallow, editor-in-chief of the
new bi-weekly newspaper, “The Independent”, and Yorro Jallow, the paper’s
managing editor and vice president of the Gambia Press Union, were arrested
by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) on Sunday 1 August 1999. A
reporter for the newspaper, N.B. Daffeh, was arrested on Friday 30 July. IPI
understands that the government has made no comments on the arrests.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 3 August, 28 July and 26 July 1999**
“The Independent” was launched on 5 July and planned to put out two issues a
week, on Mondays and Fridays. It was closed by the government on 23 July –
allegedly because it had failed to pay a business registration fee at the
Income Tax Department – shortly after it had published a statement by the
opposition United Democratic Party that described the president as the
“richest person in the region” and the “most corrupt head of state in
Africa”.
IPI considers the suspension of “The Independent” and the arrest of three of
its journalists to be only the latest in a series of attempts by the Gambian
government to muzzle the country’s independent press. Since Yahya A.J.J.
Jammeh was elected president in the September 1996 elections, many
journalists have been censored, threatened or harassed for their critical
coverage of the state, while licence fees for private radio stations and
newspapers have been more than doubled in an attempt to financially cripple
the independent media.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
immediately and unconditionally and that “The Independent” is allowed to
resume publication
are
allowed to carry out their profession without further harassment
Appeals To
President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh
Office of the President
State House
Banjul, The Republic of The Gambia
Fax: +220 226 696
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
