(IPI/IFEX) – On 5 February 1998, Boubacar Gaye and Ebrima Sillah, the proprietor and news editor respectively of Citizen FM radio, were arrested by members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and brought to NIA headquarters for questioning. The following day, NIA officials and more than a dozen armed soldiers sealed off the Citizen FM […]
(IPI/IFEX) – On 5 February 1998, Boubacar Gaye and Ebrima Sillah, the
proprietor and news editor respectively of Citizen FM radio, were arrested
by members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and brought to NIA
headquarters for questioning. The following day, NIA officials and more than
a dozen armed soldiers sealed off the Citizen FM station and ordered all
staff members to leave the premises. The detention of Gaye and Sillah came
shortly after Citizen FM broadcast a story claiming that the NIA’s Director
of Operations had been sacked in connection with an alleged counterfeit
scandal. It seems that the Ministry for Information, in consultation with
the Ministry for Justice, issued an official statement which stated that the
broadcasting of rumors about a staff shake-up at the NIA was “irresponsible”
and “deceptive,” and violated both national security interests and the
conditions under which radio and newspaper licenses are issued.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
the closure of Citizen FM, is a violation of the right to seek, receive, and
impart information, as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and unconditionally, and that Citizen FM is allowed to resume broadcasting
Appeals To
H.E. Yahya Jammeh
President and Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed Forces
Banjul
The Gambia
Fax: +220 227 034
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
