The Gambia

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 12 April 2005 CPJ press release: CPJ delegation: Murder, arson, repression thwart Gambia’s independent press Banjul, Gambia, April 12, 2005 – A string of unsolved arson attacks, a series of unchecked threats, and the passage of restrictive new laws have created deep mistrust between the Gambia’s government and its […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced amazement after Pap Saine, co-owner of “The Point” newspaper and partner of murdered journalist Deyda Hydara, was interrogated on 17 March 2005 at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in Banjul, as a suspect in Hydara’s murder. Saine was questioned at length about the newspaper’s management and tax […]

(MFWA/IFEX) – On 28 December 2004, without informing The Gambia’s citizens, President Yahya Jammeh signed into law two bills whose application will severely restrict freedom of expression and pose a danger to the practice of journalism in the country. The two laws, The Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2004 and The Newspaper (Amendment) Act, 2004, were […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 23 February 2005 CPJ press release: THE GAMBIA: Suspect detained in connection with murder of veteran journalist New York, February 23, 2005 – Gambian authorities yesterday arrested a Lebanese businessman in connection with the murder of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, according to local press reports. Wally Mahmoud Hakim was […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On the occasion of The Gambia’s 40th anniversary of independence, RSF has called on police investigating the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara to examine the possibility that it was politically motivated. In particular, the organisation has urged police to determine whether it may have been carried out by a group calling itself the […]

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – In a 17 January 2005 letter to Commissioner Andrew Ranganayi Chigovera, special rapporteur on freedom of expression of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ARTICLE 19 expressed grave concern over the recent adoption of the “Newspaper Amendment Act 2004” and the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill 2004. According to ARTICLE 19, […]

(MFWA/IFEX) – On 30 December 2004, Sam Obi, a Nigerian journalist and presenter for the privately-owned City Limits Radio station, was detained and subjected to questioning by officials of the Gambia Police Force’s Serious Crime Unit for six hours, in Serre Kunda, following an interview he granted to Radio France International (RFI). According to MFWA […]

(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an RSF press release: Who killed Deyda Hydara? Reporters Without Borders is publishing a report of its investigation into the 16 December 2004 murder of its correspondent in The Gambia, Deyda Hydara. It calls on President Yahya Jammeh to appoint an independent commission of investigation after discovering that “most witnesses […]

(MFWA/IFEX) – On 14 December 2004, the National Assembly, The Gambia’s rubber-stamp Parliament, passed the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2004, in spite of local and international appeals and protests by journalists and human rights bodies. The act amends provisions of the country’s Criminal Code, which previously provided for a fine on conviction for defamation. Under […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced outrage and deep sadness over the murder of its correspondent in The Gambia. On the night of 16 to 17 December 2004, Deyda Hydara was shot three times in the head as he left his Banjul office. “Deyda Hydara’s death is a tragedy that profoundly distresses all of our staff,” […]

(MFWA/IFEX) – The following is an MFWA press release: THE GAMBIA MEDIA UNDER SIEGE A proposed Criminal Code Amendment Bill, which the government-dominated, and controlled, National Assembly is set to rubber-stamp into law, is perhaps the most ominous evidence yet that the government of President Yaya Jammeh is determined to kill off the independent media […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 20 October 2004 CPJ press release: THE GAMBIA: Cabinet decides to revoke controversial media law Revocation awaits National Assembly’s approval New York, October 20, 2004 – Yesterday, the Gambia’s Council of Ministers decided to revoke the controversial National Media Commission Act, according to a statement broadcast on state radio. […]

(MFWA/IFEX) – During the early morning hours of 15 August 2004, BBC Banjul correspondent Ebrima Sillah’s house was set ablaze by suspected arsonists. Sillah, who was alone in the house, was sleeping when the arsonists attacked. According to MFWA sources in The Gambia, the incident occurred in Sillah’s home village of Jamburu, 30 km southwest […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned an arson attack on the home of BBC radio correspondent Ebrahima Sillah in the capital, Banjul. The organisation said the attack appeared to be a warning to the independent media, as the government has not seriously investigated other such incidents in recent months. The latest attack came in the early […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release: THE GAMBIA: CPJ condemns arson attack on newspaper New York, April 13, 2003-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns today’s early-morning arson attack on the printing press of the private, Banjul-based biweekly The Independent. According to local sources, at around 3 a.m. this morning, six armed […]

(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an IPI letter to President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh: H.E. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh President of the Republic of The Gambia State House Banjul The Gambia Fax: +220 227 034 Vienna, 4 February 2004 Your Excellency, The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is […]