In the Gambia, The Independent forced to stop publishing

New York, May 16, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply
concerned that the biweekly newspaper The Independent, which lost its
printing press in an unsolved arson in April 2004, has been forced to
stopped publishing entirely after its printing arrangement with the private
Daily Observer was abruptly terminated.

The Independent has not published since May 6 and is still looking for an
alternative way to print, according to Editor Musa Saidykhan. Other Gambian
printing and publishing outlets have refused the paper’s requests for a
contract. Saidykhan said he believes they have been threatened not to print
The Independent, or they fear their own presses could be attacked.

“Those who use threats and violence to silence the Gambia’s independent
media have achieved their objective for the moment,” CPJ Executive Director
Ann Cooper said. “If this important newspaper disappears, it will be a
serious blow to press freedom in the Gambia.”

The government has failed to solve a series of arsons against news outlets,
including a 2000 attack on private broadcaster Radio 1 FM; an August 2004
attack on the home of BBC correspondent Ebrima Sillah; and an October 2003
attack on the offices of The Independent. A second attack on The Independent
in April 2004 destroyed the newspaper's new printing press, and several
employees barely escaped. The most shocking attack, though, was the December
2004 murder of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, co-editor and founder of the
independent newspaper The Point. Investigations into these attacks have
produced little or no results.

After The Independent’s printing press was burned, it reached an informal
arrangement with the Daily Observer to have the paper printed there.
Saidykhan said he was notified by phone on May 4 that the arrangement had
been terminated.

Independent journalists suspect the pro-government Daily Observer had
political motives for terminating the agreement. Daily Observer Managing
Editor Momodou Sanyang told CPJ that he made the decision after learning of
problems with his paper’s printing facilities, including the need for spare
parts and extra capacity.

CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.



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