NEWS
CPJ concerned by harassment of Gambian editor
Murder story may have sparked interrogation
Source: CPJ



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October 27, 2005
New York, October 27, 2005-The editor of The Independent newspaper was
detained today and interrogated for several hours by Gambian state
intelligence agents, who instructed him to return for more questioning on
Friday. Local journalists said they believe Musa Saidykhan is being
harassed in connection with a recent article on the unsolved December 2004
murder of prominent Gambian editor Deyda Hydara.

Saidykhan was summoned this morning to the offices of the National
Intelligence Agency (NIA), but declined to go because authorities provided
no reason, according to CPJ sources. Several agents came to the offices of
the Banjul newspaper around 2.30 p.m. local time and took him to the NIA
headquarters. An NIA officer told the Committee to Protect Journalists
that it was "routine questioning," but he would not elaborate.

Local journalists believe Saidykhan was detained in connection with an
article that said South African President Thabo Mbeki had promised to
raise the issue of Hydara's unsolved murder with Gambian authorities. The
article, titled "African Editors Remember Deyda" appeared in The
Independent on October 24 and was republished this week in The Point, the
newspaper Hydara co-founded and edited. It described Saidykhan's recent
visit to the African Editors Forum (TAEF) in Johannesburg, where he
discussed the Hydara case with Mbeki.

Hydara's murder prompted an international outcry. The investigation was
initially assigned to the Gambian police, before being taken over by the
NIA in February. In June, the government released to the press a
"confidential" NIA report on the murder, which was widely seen as an
attempt to smear Hydara's reputation. Since then, Gambian authorities have
remained silent on the murder inquiry, and have failed to respond to calls
for an independent investigation.

The Gambian government has also failed to solve a series of arson attacks
on private media, including two on The Independent in 2003 and 2004.
Journalists in the Gambia face repressive legislation as well as frequent
harassment and threats. On Saturday, authorities shut down the Gambian
branch of Senegalese private radio station Sud FM, accusing it of
"inciting trouble" between the Gambia and Senegal.

"We're very concerned about the apparent harassment of a journalist who is
properly drawing attention to the problem of impunity in the Gambia," CPJ
Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "Gambian authorities should stop
harassing Musa Saidykhan and instead devote their attention to solving
these crimes."

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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