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Åbent brev til udenrigsminister Per Stig Møller (K) fra journalist Lars Møller
Kære Per Stig Møller.
7 arresterede journalister i Gambia har akut brug for diplomatisk opmærksomhed.
Mandag blev 2 redaktører, 2 journalister og 3 ledende medlemmer af den Danida-støttede Gambia Press Union (GPU) arresteret af det gambiske efterretningsvæsen, NIA.
Den kvindelige præsident for GPU, Ndey Tapha Sosseh, fortæller i nedenstående statement om baggrunden for arrestationerne. Selv er jeg (Lars Møller, red.) formand for Games (Gambia Media Support), en lille organisation af journalister og andre fagfolk, der forsøger at hjælpe medierne i Gambia – med bl.a. Danidas bistand.
Danida har støttet en såkaldt partnerskabsaktivitet mellem GPU og Games via Minipuljen med 400.000 kr., og vi har en ny ansøgning inde til Projektpuljen om at støtte en ny aktivitet med 1 mio. kr.. Jeg sidder desuden med i bestyrelsen af IMS, International Media Support, der for andre Danida-midler har støttet både GPU og de to arresterede redaktørers aviser.
Formålet med min henvendelse, eller måske snarere bøn, er, at dansk diplomati bemærker disse arrestationer. En diplomatisk bemærkning kan være livsvigtig for de arresterede. De viser tidligere sager fra Gambia:
Da den daværende præsident for GPU, Madi Ceesay, blev arresteret for 3 år siden sammen med redaktøren af The Independent, Musa Saidykhan, blev begge tortureret og ulovligt fængslet i 3 uger. Endnu værre gik det for journalisten på The Observer, Chief Ebrima Manneh, der forsvandt for 2 år siden, efter at være i NIAs varetægt.
Et andet formål er, at Gambias præsident får at vide, at krænkelser af menneskerettighederne ikke er upåagtede af det internationale samfund.
Jeg har med et tilsvarende brev bedt ambassaden i Mali om støtte. Ikke mindst fordi den nuværende præsident for GPU, Ndey Tapha Sosseh, pt. er i Mali og meget vel kan få problemer med at vende hjem, hvor efterretningstjeneste har søgt hende.
Baggrund
De 7 blev arresteret 4 dage efter, at fagforeningen i en pressemeddelelse (se længst nedenfor) kritiserede landets præsident Jammeh for sine udtalelser om mordet på redaktøren af den uafhængige avis The Point, Deyda Hydara.
Han blev slået ihjel uden for sit hjem i 2004, men mordet blev aldrig opklaret, endsige grundigt efterforsket, hvilket regeringen kritiseres for. GPU er også kritiske over for journalisten Chief Ebrima Mannehs “forsvinden”, ligesom de kritiserer en række tilbagevendende retssager og arrestationer af journalister i Gambia.
Foruden ledende medlemmer af GPU (generalsekretær Emil Touray, vicepræsident Sarata Jabbi-Dibba og kasserer Pa Modou Faal) arresterede efterretningsvæsenet den nuværende chefredaktør af The Point, Pap Saine, hans redaktionschef, Ebrima Sawaneh, og redaktøren af oppositionsavisen Foroyaa, Sam Sarr, og reporteren Abubucarr Saidykhan.
Jeg står gerne til rådighed med flere oplysninger og mere baggrund.
Venlig hilsen
Journalist Lars Møller
fmd. for Games (www.GambiaMediaSupport.org)
Turbinen, Filmbyen 21, 8000 Århus C
[email protected] – www.larsmoller.dk
telf. (+45) 2162 7470, fax (+45) 8612 7316
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GAMBIA PRESS UNION
NO. 5 GARBA JAHUMPA ROAD BAKAU NEWTOWN
P. O. Box 1440, Banjul, The Gambia
email: [email protected] url: www.gambiapressunion.org
Press Release
Monday, June 15 2009
20:00 HRS
GPU, GAMBIAN JOURNALISTS UNDER SIEGE
The Gambia Press Union wishes to express its most profound disappointment over the National Intelligence Agency questioning of three of its senior Executive members namely, Emil Touray, Secretary General; Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, Vice President and Pa Modou Faal, Treasurer who have spent all day today at the National Intelligence Agency Headquarters were they are being questioned.
Pap Saine, Publisher of The Point Newspaper and Ebrima Sawaneh, Editor of The Point are also at the NIA headquarters. Sam Sarr and Abubcarr Saidy Khan Editor and Reporter, Foroyaa Newspaper were also picked up for questioning around 7.30 GMT.
This move comes four days after the Union issued a statement in response to inappropriate comments made by Head of State, President Jammeh on slain Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydara and the state of Freedom of Expression in The Gambia.
It is certainly unbelievable that less than a week after President Jammeh has pronounced The Gambia as a state where one can freely exercise their rights to Freedom of Expression as enshrined in Section 207 of The 1997 Constitution and various regional and international treaties, the NIA find it fitting to resort to their usual tactics of unnecessary high handedness in the face of truth.
We firmly stand by our statements of Thursday, June 11 and are today, more than ever before determined to remain steadfast, courageous, and, to speak the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth.
We also reiterate our call on the Gambia Government and its relevant security institutions to cease the unnecessary and continued embarrassment and harassment of journalists; And, to respect, promote and defend the rights of journalists. Rights enshrined in the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, Article 9 of The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We also demand the immediate and unconditional release of our colleagues.
The Union also calls on all Gambians of conscience to rally behind the media in the knowledge that this is not only suppression of freedom of the media but suppression of all Gambians, who have the right to access information and to be duly informed.
It is our individual and collective duty to build a democratic Gambia that ensures the provision of all our inalienable and indivisible human rights in a bid to attain our liberty, dignity and prosperity.
Ndey Tapha Sosseh
President
NOTE TO EDITORS
Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, GPU Vice President is a nursing mother with an infant of about six months.
Sam Sarr, Editor of Foroyaa Newspaper is an advisor to the GPU Executive and serves as interim coordinator of The Gambia Editor’s Forum.
Pa Modou Faal, GPU Treasurer is the President of the Association of Health Journalists and Coordinator of AMMREN (Africa Malaria Media Research Network) The Gambia.
Pap Saine, Publisher of The Point Newspaper was today, June 15 acquitted by the Banjul Magistrates Court on charges of False Citizenship
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GAMBIA PRESS UNION
NO. 5 GARBA JAHUMPA ROAD BAKAU NEWTOWN
P. O. Box 1440, Banjul, The Gambia
email: [email protected]
Press Release
Thursday, June 11th 2009
GPU REACTION TO PRESIDENT JAMMEHS STATEMENT ON DEYDA HYDARA, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
The Gambia Press Union wishes to express its shock and disappointment over the inappropriateness of the provocative statement of the head of state, President Jammeh, on GRTS, Tuesday night in relation to the death of veteran Gambian journalist, the late Deyda Hydara.
It is rather unfortunate and the Union is indeed saddened that the second time the head of state has so chosen to discuss the death of Deyda Hydara; he again, has dwelt on the issue of character assassination and ridicule.
We find it most unfortunate that the champion for the promotion of Gambian and African culture, traditional norms and values, and someone, who claims to have total respect for religion in particular, Islam, President Jammeh finds it appropriate to ridicule and to speak ill of the dead. Such behavior and countenance is most unreligious, un-cultural and certainly discredits traditional African norms and values!
The Union need not remind President Jammeh that it is difficult to presume that the Gambia Government is concerned over the death of Deyda Hydara unless and until the Gambia Government and its relevant security institutions are seen to be determined and resolved to seriously commit themselves in a professional manner to embark on investigating the events that led to the death of our dear colleague and brother.
We also wish to bring to the attention of the head of state that the Government of The Gambia and its relevant Security Apparatus’ have the primary responsibility to ensure the protection of each and every Gambian life and therefore the murder of any Gambian should be an issue of paramount concern and curbing such a menace a priority.
Mere statements and or speculations and ridicule re: the events leading to the death of Deyda Hydara cannot and will not be accepted as exoneration of the Gambia Government, neither by the Union, international journalist associations, the Hydara family or other interested parties.
The death of any Gambian, more so one who was most vocal on issues of human rights, freedom of expression and the development of the country in general, even if it meant clashing with the powers that be, can only be deemed suspicious until such a time that the state can logically, reasonably, factually and forensically, and within the shortest possible period prove otherwise.
We demand an investigation of fact and forensics spearheaded by the Gambia Government. Should the relevant government institutions not have the resources or wherewithal to carry on with the investigations, we at the Gambia Press Union think it is time that you publicly admit that and invite other states and international policing and security institutions such as Interpol, who already have a desk at the Police Headquarters to take over the investigations.
It is almost certain that the trail has gone cold in the past Four and a half years but the main pieces of the puzzle being the bullets which were or should have been retrieved during post mortem and the post mortem report will certainly go a long way in aiding the continuation and or recommencement of the investigations.
Motives and related issues can wait for a later date! Right now our preoccupation is that the perpetrators of this murder most foul be brought to book.
Mr. President the venom with which you spoke about the websites with a picture of the slain journalist and the slogan “Who Killed Deyda Hydara” is alarming. We are very much aware that the issue be kept alive and until such a time that his killers are brought to book, this slogan and its accompanying image will remain on the website of the Union and that even then, we will coin a statement fitting to forever haunt the perpetrators of this heinous crime!
The killing of Deyda Hydara, if nothing else, has only strengthened the resolve of true journalists to remain steadfast, truthful and committed to speaking in defense of the weak and the vulnerable.
On a second note, we are quite surprised that you claim there is Freedom of Expression in The Gambia. Mr. President, we beg to differ, the legal environment in particular the Newspaper Amendment Act 2004, the Criminal Code Amendment Act 2004, the Newspaper Registration Act and the recently passed Communications Bill 2009 make it practically impossible to practice efficiently as a journalist and yet remain within the ambits of the law.
The laws notwithstanding, the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh, the continued prolonging of unnecessary court cases of journalists and media practitioners, arbitrary arrests and detention, harassment of Gambian journalists especially the episodes of 2006 leave a lot to be desired re: the state of freedom of expression in The Gambia.
We therefore call on the Gambia Government to respect, promote and defend the rights of journalists, notably by bringing an immediate end to the unnecessary and continued embarrassment and harassment of journalists; to create the enabling environment for the development and full participation of the independent media, the fourth estate, by repealing the current media laws which criminalize media offences amongst a host of other detrimental issues and to pass new and progressive media related laws such as Freedom of Information and Access to Information Acts which amongst other provisions guarantee freedom of the media as stipulated in the regional and international treaties such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights to which your Government is signatory.
We also propose, in good faith that your Government seriously look at strategies geared towards engaging and collaborating with the independent media to enhance and strengthen independent media participation and to enable the expansion of the space for divergent views and healthy debate.
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THE GAMBIA: CPJ condemns arrest of journalists
New York, June 15, 2009— After receiving reports today of the arrest of seven senior Gambian journalists and press union leaders who criticized President Yahya Jammeh for remarks that bluntly refuted government involvement in the unsolved 2004 murder of an editor, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:
“The failure of the Gambian authorities to bring those responsible for the killing of Deyda Hydara to justice has rightly angered local journalists,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “Instead of answering journalists’ legitimate questions about this case, the authorities are locking them up. They should be released immediately.”
