Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

In the light of the current printing problems faced by The Independent, a small group of Gambians in the United States and the UK have come together to launch The Independent Newspaper Support Fund. The paper has not published since May 6 because none of the few printing presses in the country would print for us. The Observer Press, which used to print for us until a few weeks ago, has told us they can no longer do this. The Independent is thus facing a very real danger of closing its doors permanently. It is in the light of this urgent problem that The Independent Newspaper Support Fund has been set up. The Fund's aim is to raise

$20,000 as soon as possible to buy a second hand press and ship it to The Gambia as soon as possible. Those wishing to contribute to this effort can please send their contributions to the following persons.

 

In the U.S : Banka Manneh, P.O. Box 48491, Doraville, GA 30362

In Europe : Please contact Lamin NB Daffeh at 07 95 86 69 891

 

Persons with other ideas of how to secure a printing press may email me at this address. Below is a recent alert from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists on the current situation. Thanks all.

 

Baba

 

 

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.