Six who criticised president jailed
NUJ MEMBERS joined colleagues around the world to protest at the treatment of leading members of the journalists’ union in Gambia. Demonstrations have been held at Gambian embassies since the six journalists were charged with sedition and defamation. In August they were all sentenced to two years in jail and fined $10,000 for having criticised President Yahya Jammeh.
The six Gambia Press Union (GPU) members are General Secretary Emil Touray, Vice President Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, Treasurer Pa Modou Faal, publisher Pap Saine, the editor of The Point newspaper, Ebrima Sawaneh, and Sam Sarr, editor of the newspaper Foroyaa.
Their arrests in a police raid in July on the GPU head office followed the publication of a statement criticising President Jammeh, who had attacked the country’s journalists in a TV interview, saying: “Any journalist who thinks that he or she can write whatever he or she wants, and go free, is making a big mistake. If anybody is caught, he will be severely dealt with.”
Gambian journalists have accused the government of the 2004 murder of the then editor of The Point, Deyda Hydara. The authorities have refused to investigate his death.
Jim Boumelha, President of the International Federation of Journalists and a member of the NUJ’s national executive, said: “This is one of the darkest days in the history of African journalism. The harsh sentences fly in the face of all the constitutional guarantees and the principles of press freedom and natural justice.”
The NUJ has launched a legal defence fund to help support colleagues in Gambia. For information go to http://tinyurl.com/n7426y