(MFWA/IFEX) – On 21 July 2005, President Yahya Jammeh renewed his threats against journalists working for private media and foreign news outlets in his country. The threats were made during an exclusive interview granted to Gambia TV, the state broadcaster, on the eve of celebrations marking his 22 July 1994 coup d’etat. According to an […]
(MFWA/IFEX) – On 21 July 2005, President Yahya Jammeh renewed his threats against journalists working for private media and foreign news outlets in his country.
The threats were made during an exclusive interview granted to Gambia TV, the state broadcaster, on the eve of celebrations marking his 22 July 1994 coup d’etat.
According to an MFWA-Gambia source, Jammeh attacked the country’s journalists and opposition leaders and their supporters during the interview, saying that his reason for introducing draconian press laws in recent months was because, “journalists are only bent on character assassination of people.” Jammeh later added, “My government has provided too much freedom of expression and media rights in the country.” He then warned journalists to leave the country, saying that the Gambian “borders are open.”
In July 2004, while marking his tenth year in power, President Jammeh made similar threats, referring to journalists working with the private media as “opposition journalists”.
Shortly afterwards, many journalists, including then-President of the Gambia Press Union, Demba Jawo, and Ebrima Sillah, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Banjul correspondent, received death threats from a group calling itself the “Green Boys”. In August 2004, Sillah’s house was set ablaze by unidentified arsonists. Sillah managed to escape, but suffered burns (see IFEX alerts of 19 and 16 August 2004).
In late December 2005, as yet unidentified assailants shot and murdered the respected editor of “The Point” newspaper, Deyda Hydara. Nobody has been arrested or questioned for the murder (see alerts of 9 June, 19 May, 6 April, 22 March, 25 and 22 February and 6 January 2005 and 17 December 2004).
