Fellow G-Lers,
Please join me in congragulating Mr Madi Ceesay, President of the Gambia Press Union for the highly prestigious International Press Freedom Award bestowed on him by the Commitee for the Protection of Journalists.
Bravo Madi, Keep it up!
Bailo
The following is culled from the latest edition of the Forroyaa newspaper:
GPU President Receives Prestigious Award
The president of The Gambia Press Union (GPU) and General Manager of the
Independent, Mr. Madi Ceesay, on Tuesday 21st November received the prestigious
Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPS) International Press Freedom
Award at Waldorf – Astoria in New York City, U.S.A. Mr. Ceesay is also
Deputy President(s) of the West African Association of Journalists (WAAJ).
The USA in their press release on the occasion noted that the award “is
indeed a fitting award to an independent and deserving journalist.” We publish
below the full text of the speech delivered by Mr. Ceesay at the occasion:
In the name of all the journalists back home in the Gambia, I would first
like to thank the Committee to Protect Journalists, and all those who
contributed to my nomination. I would also like to thank my family for all the support
they have given me.
Today is a great day in my life as a journalist. I would like to accept this
prestigious award in the name of all independent journalists in the Gambia
who continue to work hard despite a very hostile media environment.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me describe to you the sad climate in which we
work. In the past few years, we have seen repeated arson attacks on journalists
and their media houses, without a single suspect being brought before the
courts. Four media houses have been shut down by government, including my own
newspaper.
In December 2004, our colleague Deyda Hydara, editor of The Point newspaper,
was murdered in a drive-by shooting. It was a shock to all journalists in
the Gambia, who felt a great loss and also a sense of fear that such a thing
could happen in our country. Government investigators have not brought anyone
to justice so far. They produced a report that seemed to blame Deyda for his
own death… and did not address the question of who killed him.
After my newspaper was shut down and I was imprisoned in March this year,
several other journalists were also detained, and one journalist has been
missing for more than three months. One of my colleagues from the Independent is being tried for publishing false information, under a law which could bring a
possible jail sentence.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Gambia is a small country, and some of you may not
be familiar with it. But our problems are typical of many African countries,
where the independent press is struggling to hold governments accountable…
governments which may profess to be democratic but violate democratic
principles such as press freedom.
Ladies and gentlemen, Gambia’s embattled independent media desperately needs
support. I call on you to help us by speaking up when abuses occur. We also
need practical support to strengthen the Gambian media, so that we will be
better able to investigate abuses and report on issues of vital public interest
Once again, thanks to CPJ for this great honor, and thank you all for your
attention.
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