Hi,
It is outriht nonesense that Jammeh and his clique are continuing their
harashment of the press.Since 1994, we have seen Kennet Best deported to
Liberia in violation of the GENEVA CONVENTION,the POINT refused access to
the printing department for production of their paper, the systematic
harassment of journlist such as DA JAWO ,ALIEU BADARA SOWE and others, the
closure of CITIZEN F.M, and the now the questioning the INDEPENDENT EDITORS'
CITIZENSHIP.Let the members of the press let Jammeh know that the GAMBIA
belongs to all GAMBIANS .That they will not allow to be intimidated by any
thug. Keep up the good work and remember as HALIFA SALLAH rightly put it
during his 1994 trial that"LIBERTY IS A FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENT IN EVERY
SOCIETY"
>From: "Jeng, Beran" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: FWD:Independent Editors'Nationality Questioned
>Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 16:26:11 -0400
>
>Independent Editors' nationality questioned
>The Independent <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html>
>(Banjul)
>June 23, 2000
>Banjul - The nationality of Independent Editor-in-chief Baba Galleh Jallow
>and
>Managing Editor Alagi Yorro Jallow has been questioned by The Gambia's
>Immigration department.
>Two plainclothes Immigration officers walked into The Independent offices
>on No.
>1 Kairaba Avenue Tuesday morning and asked to see the two editors. As Alagi
>Yorro was not in at the time, Baba Galleh invited them into his office.
>'The two officers identified themselves and said Immigration director
>Sheriff
>Faburay sent them. They said they had been asked to check on our I.D cards
>and
>passports,' Mr. Jallow said.
>Mr. Jallow explained that since he did not have his passport on him at the
>time,
>he showed them his ID card and asked them to come later to see his
>passport.
>'They asked if they could take my I.D card with them but I said no, they
>could
>only take a photocopy,' Mr. Jallow explained. 'I made a copy and gave it to
>them. I also asked them whether they wanted to deport us. At 2.00 PM the
>officers came back for the copy of my passport and also Alagi Yorro's
>documents.'
>Mr. Jallow said it was absolutely ridiculous for anyone in his right senses
>to
>question his nationality. Born in Farafenni in the North Bank Division,
>Baba
>Galleh attended Farafenni primary and secondary schools before proceeding
>to
>Armitage High School where he obtained his O' levels in 1985. That same
>year, he
>won a place and a government scholarship to the Gambia High School Sixth
>Form
>Arts stream. At Gambia High he was both Head Boy and President of the
>Islamic
>Cultural Club. Upon completion of Sixth Form, he taught History and English
>at
>St. Augustine's High School for one academic year before winning a
>government
>scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree at Fourah Bay College,
>University of Sierra Leone where he served as Secretary General of the
>National
>Union of Gambian Students at the university. Upon graduation in 1991, Baba
>Galleh worked briefly as Cultural Officer (Research) for the National
>Council
>for Arts and Culture before taking up appointment as Assistant Registrar at
>the
>Banjul office of the West African Examinations Council in February 1992. In
>July
>1994, Baba Galleh left WAEC and took up appointment as Assistant Editor of
>the
>Daily Observer. In July 1995, he was appointed Deputy Editor-in-chief, and
>eventually in October 1997, as Editor-in-chief of the Daily Observer.
>Following
>the sale of the Observer in May 1999, Baba Galleh resigned from the
>Observer and
>teamed up with Alagi Yorro to found The Independent newspaper.
>Back in 1994 Baba Galleh had served as a member of the historic National
>Consultative Committee set up by the defunct AFPRC government to sound the
>public's opinion nationwide on the length of the proposed transition period
>to
>civilian rule.
>Managing Editor Alagi Yorro Jallow was equally baffled at the news of the
>Immigration officers' visit.
>'This is a joke,' he said. 'It's even Yabateh. How can they question our
>nationality? Let them go and question my dad at Sankwia.'
>Son of Alhagie Amadou Jallow, the Grand Marabout of Sankwia in the Lower
>River
>Division, Alagi Yorro attended Pakalinding Primary School, Pakalinding
>Secondary
>Technical School, and later proceeded to Saint Peters High School for his
>O'
>levels. From St. Peters, Alagi Yorro proceeded to Saint Augustine's High
>School
>where he obtained his A'levels in 1985. In 1998 he was elected vice
>chairman of
>the Gambia Press Union, a position he currently holds.
>'I think if I'm deported, my brother who is serving the Gambia Police Force
>as a
>senior police officer serving with the U.N Peace Keeping Force in East
>Timor
>will also be deported,' Alagi Yorro said. 'The director of Immigration or
>the
>authorities I believe should first do their homework properly, they should
>have
>checked with the Health department to determine whether we are citizens or
>not.'
>
>A few days ago, reporter Alhagie Mbye was also threatened with deportation
>by an
>anonymous Immigration official.
>According to reliable sources close to the Immigration department, a top
>official at the department of state for Local Government had called the
>director
>of Immigration and told him that both Baba and Alagi Yorro are not citizens
>of
>this country. This followed the publication of a story on last Monday's
>edition
>of The Independent, which reported that the elected chief of Upper Baddibu
>district had been sacked and the APRC divisional chairman, appointed chief.
>Meanwhile on Wednesday morning, Baba Galleh's 80-year-old father Momodou
>Jallow
>called from Farafenni to say that Immigration officers there had just
>subjected
>him to a lengthy interrogation. As at the time of going to press, they
>still had
>the old man's ID card.
>
>C
>
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