Hi all,
After reading CPJ's (Committee to Protect Journalists) reaction statement
regarding the brutal attack against the Independent I wrote to Ann Cooper
the director and was given an informative response by their Communications
coordinator Wacuka Mungai to contact WAN (World Association of
Newspapers). I just got a response from them and I am forwarding it for
you all to read. Ams, mentioned taking some time to write letters and
perhaps this information will help direct where to write to. Wacuka also,
recommended, www.ned.com (National Endowment for Democracy) and this may
have potential as well.
Perhaps the most crucial bit of info, is the letter written to Jammeh and
you will see that at the very end of this posting.
God Bless,
Chris Sukuna
Mu-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Gambia
From: Aebhric Coleman <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, April 20, 2004 9:32 am
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Dear Christine Sukuna,
Thank you for your recent email to the World Association of Newspapers.
The World Association of Newspapers have been looking closely at the
situation in Gambia. On 16th April, a letter of protest was sent to the
Gambian President concerning the arson attack at the Independent
Newspaper. I enclose a copy for your information. You may also access
the letter directly on our website:
http://www.wan-press.org/protests.php3
In addition, we are in the process of contacting the managing editor of
the Independent in Gambia for an interview in RAP 21 (an initiative of
WAN : www.rap21.org) to publicize the case.
Concerning practical assistance, my colleagues have suggested that you
could contact some of the larger newspapers in Senegal, who may be
willing to print the newspaper at their printing plants until the
Independent has found another solution. I understand my colleagues have
already made this suggestion to the Managing Director of the
Independent, so perhaps this project could be launched as a joint
initiative.
I hope the above is helpful. If you have any further questions, please
do not hesitate to contact us.
Best regards,
Aebhric Coleman
Manager, Office of the Director General
World Association of Newspapers
7, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire
75005 Paris
France
Direct: + 33- (0)1 - 47 42 85 11
Gen Tel: + 33 - (0)1 - 47 42 85 00
Fax: + 33 - (0)1 - 47 42 49 48
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.wan-press.org
We have moved!
As of 1 January 2004, the address of WAN, WAN Training and Events and
the
World Editors Forum is 7 Rue Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 75005 Paris, France.
Our contact numbers remain the same.
* 57th World Newspaper Congress,
11th World Editors Forum
Info Services Expo 2004
30 May-2 June 2004
Istanbul, Turkey
* World Forum on Newspaper Strategy
30 September-1 October 2004
Paris, France
* Beyond the Printed Word, the World Electronic Publishing Conference
3-4 November 2004
Prague, Czech Republic
* 2004 Editor and Marketeer Conference & Expo
25-26 November 2004
Lisbon, Portugal
* 2005 World Newspaper Advertising Conference & Expo
24-25 February 2005
Rome, Italy
* 6th World Young Reader Conference
6-9 March 2005
New Delhi, India
* 58th World Newspaper Congress
12th World Editors Forum
Info Services Expo 2005
29 May-2 June 2005
Seoul, Korea
SENT 16th APRIL 2004
His Excellency President Dr Alhaji AJJ Jammeh
Banjul, Gambia
Email: [log in to unmask]
16 April 2004
Your Excellency,
We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the
World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 100
countries, to express our serious concern at an arson attack on the
printing press of The Independent newspaper.
According to reports, in the early hours of 13 April six armed men
stormed the building housing the printing press of the privately-owned
bi-weekly The Independent, in Kanifing, a suburb of Banjul. The men
fired shots inside the building before dousing equipment with petrol and
setting it alight. The attackers also reportedly attempted to lock
employees inside the burning building. Although all staff members
escaped, three were injured while doing so.
All of The Independent’s printing equipment, which had only been
operating for three months, and all copies of that day’s newspaper were
destroyed in the attack. This is not the first time that The
Independent, which has been critical of the government, has come under
attack. In October 2003, three unidentified men set fire to the
newspaper's main offices, forcing staff to relocate temporarily.
Despite promises of a police investigation into the October fire, The
Independent has received no word from authorities about progress in the
case.
We respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to provide
an environment in which journalists are able to carry out their
professional duties without fear of intimidation. Such incidents foster
a climate of fear that inhibits journalistic investigation and can
promote self-censorship.
We respectfully call on you to take all necessary steps to ensure that
the investigation into the arson attack on The Independent is carried
out in an effective and transparent manner and that those responsible
are swiftly brought to justice. We urge you to do everything possible to
ensure that attacks on the media do not go unpunished and that all
citizens may exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear
of intimidation.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Seok Hyun Hong
President
World Association of Newspapers
Gloria Brown Anderson
President
World Editors Forum
cc: Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations
Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO
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