Six Gambia Press Union journalists sent back to prison
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 3 July 2009 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Six Gambia Press Union journalists sent back to prison, 3 July 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4a5304cb8.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Reporters Without Borders is outraged to learn that six leading members of the Gambia Press Union, including the editors of two newspapers, were sent back to prison today on sedition and defamation charges. The GPU's vice-president, the mother of a young child, was also rearrested but was freed on bail. Reporters Without Borders calls for them all to be released unconditionally at once.
"We must yet again tell the Gambian government that we appalled by its disgraceful behaviour," the press freedom organisation said. "This is clearly a ploy by the president to hound the staff of the opposition newspaper Foroyaa and the independent newspaper The Point and force them to close."
Reporters Without Borders added: "The way the authorities play with the lives of these journalists by repeatedly sending them to prison cannot leave the international community unmoved. We appeal to all the organisations of which Gambia is a member, including the African Union, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth, to condemn this outrage."
The six journalists who were sent back to Banjul's Mile Two prison today were GPU secretary general Emil Touray, GPU treasurer Pa Modou Fall, The Point publisher Pap Saine, The Point editor Ebrima Sawaneh, Foroyaa editor Sam Sarr and Foroyaa reporter Abubakar Saidykhan.
GPU vice-president Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, the mother of a young child, was also jailed but was released in the afternoon on payment of 200,000 dalasis (5,400 euros) in bail.
The seven journalists have been charged for the past two weeks with "seditious publication" for issuing a statement calling on President Yahya Jammeh to acknowledge his government's responsibility in the 2004 murder of journalist Deyda Hydara. Their trial was due to be held on 7 July in Kanifing, but was brought forward to today and transferred to the Banjul high court.
The additional charge of criminal defamation was brought against them today. They are now scheduled to appear before Justice Joseph Wowo of the Banjul high court on 8 July.
The GPU issued its statement four days after President Jammeh gave an interview on state-owned GRTS television in which he denied any government involvement in the Hydara killing. The statement, which called the president's remarks "provocative" and "inopportune", already resulted in the six journalists being detained from 18 to 22 June.