BREAKING NEWS:Third journalist with The Independent arrested-Reporters Without Borders Laments!!!!
  English / Français 
  Reporters Without Borders 
  Press release 
  12 April 2006 
  GAMBIA
  Third journalist with The Independent arrested 
  A third journalist with the privately-owned biweekly The Independent, Lamin M. Fatty, was arrested at his home today, two weeks after the Criminal Investigation Department closed down the newspaper on 28 March and arrested its managing director, Madi Ceesay, and editor, Musa Saydikhan, who are still being held at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
  "The list of detained journalists is getting longer," Reporters Without Borders said. "The Gambian government does what it likes, without any pretense of legality. How far will it be able to go before it has to face a real protest from the member states of the African Union, whose next summit Gambia is supposed to host?" 
  
  SINCE THE FALL OF JAWARA
  THE GAMBIA HAS BEEN A PLACE FOR
  GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES!!!
  The press freedom organisation added: "In cases such as this, press solidarity is decisive and we therefore call on the African media to make President Yahya Jammeh see that what is going on in Banjul is causing concern abroad."

It was Fatty's byline that appeared on an article headlined "23 coup plotters arrested" that appeared in The Independent's 24 March issue. A Gambian source who asked not to be identified had told Reporters Without Borders on 4 April that Ceesay and Saidykhan were arrested because of this article, which named 23 people who had supposedly been arrested for their alleged participation in an abortive coup on 21 March.

Those named in the report included Samba Bah, a former interior minister and former head of the NIA, whose angry denial of the report's accuracy was published in the 27 March issue under the headline, "I have not been arrested," together with the newspaper's apology. The NIA is thought to have been trying to get Ceesay and Saidykhan to reveal who told them Bah was arrested as a member of the 21 March conspiracy. Ceesay is also president of the Gambia Press Union, the country's leading journalists' union. 
  Meanwhile, The Independent Newspaper, CEO Babagalleh Jallow has issued a statement on the arrest of his reporter. Please read on……
  We just got word that Lamin Fatty, a reporter for The Independent, was this afternoon picked up from his house by armed paramilitary officers. Mr Fatty's whereabouts are not known at this time. 
  Fatty's arrest comes 16 days after general manager Madi Ceesay and editor Musa Saidykhan were arrested and detained by Gambian security operatives. The two men are still held by the secret police, the National Intelligence Agency. The offices of the newspaper still remain locked and under armed paramilitary guard. No reasons have been officially given for the arrests of Ceesay and Saidykhan and the two have not been charged with any crime. No reason have also been given for the continued closure of the newpspaper's offices. 
  According to Gambian law, no detainee should be held without charges for over 72 hours. Also, no private property can be closed without the provision of a court order. The Gambian authorities are in violation of both laws. 
  We call upon the international community to continue applying pressure on the Jammeh dictatorship to stop abusing the rights of its citizens through arbitrary arrests and closures of private properties without the due process of law. 
  Baba G. Jallow 
  Founder Editor/CEO
   
    
Posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 (Archive on Wednesday, April 26, 2006)
Posted by PANDERRYMBAI  Contributed by PANDERRYMBAI
    Return
  
---------------------------------
          Current Rating:  5.00                        Rating:   5    
             

      Copyright 2006 (c) Freedom Newspaper, LLC.   :  Powered By PointClick  :  Terms Of Use  :  Privacy Statement [input]   [input]   [input] 
		
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Photos – NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 7p a photo.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤