(MFWA/IFEX) – On 20 and 21 May 2008, Fabakary B. Ceesay, a reporter with the opposition newspaper “Foroyaa”, was threatened with abduction and violence by an anonymous caller. MFWA sources in The Gambia report that the caller told Ceesay to stop writing articles critical of the government or “face the consequences.” The calls came to […]
(MFWA/IFEX) – On 20 and 21 May 2008, Fabakary B. Ceesay, a reporter with the opposition newspaper “Foroyaa”, was threatened with abduction and violence by an anonymous caller.
MFWA sources in The Gambia report that the caller told Ceesay to stop writing articles critical of the government or “face the consequences.”
The calls came to Ceesay on two occasions from an undisclosed mobile number. According to the journalist, the caller said: “Fabakary, I warn you. We know you. We know your house, and we are near you right now. We can get hold of you whenever we want. So you better be careful of what you write.”
After consulting his colleagues, Ceesay, who is also the Communication and Public Relations Officer of the Network of Human Rights Journalists (NHRJ) in The Gambia, reported the threats to the Serrekunda Police Station on 26 May.
MFWA is deeply concerned about the relentless pressure on journalists in The Gambia under the regime of President Yahya Jammeh. MFWA considers the threats against Ceesay as an unscrupulous attempt to intimidate the journalist and to scare him into not exercising his right to free expression.
