United Kingdom branch of Gambia Press Union GPU is hereby calling for urgent intervention by United Nations and other International organizations to put pressure on government of The Gambia to seriously investigate the murders of prominent Gambian journalists.
Deyda Hydara and Omar Barrow have both been murdered by agents of Gambia Government and nothing done about their killing for many years now. Omar Barrow serving as journalist and Red Cross Volunteer was gunned down during April 2000 student demonstration in Gambian that consumed the lives of more than dozen young students. Deyda Hydara, co-proprietor and Managing Editor of The Point Newspaper was stalked by secret agents of Gambia Government and brutally gunned down near a Police Station in Kanifing District of urban Gambia, Five years today on 16 December 1994. Eye-witness accounts indicated that he was shot at from a car without number plates.
Two members of Hydara's staff, Ida Jagne-Joof and Nyansarang Jobe, who were in his vehicle at the time both sustained varying degrees of injuries as a direct consequence of bullets directly released on their moving vehicle. In the case of Ms Jobe, a bullet was lodged somewhere in her legs and later extracted by surgeons at a hospital in the capital city of neighbouring Senegal, Dakar.
We extend our call to have international organizations bear on Gambian authorities put an end to persistent reign of terror against journalists, human rights activists and innocent civilians in the West African state. Mr. Hydara's death is among a trail of murders and arson attacks by brutal groups of criminals, who use vehicles without number plates at night targeting unsuspecting preys in their perpetual reign of terror against journalists, human rights activists and innocent civilians. Since Hydaras murder, 5 years ago there has been total lack of progress in the investigation into his death despite widespread condemnation by journalists, media organizations, human rights groups and other concerned groups for justice, locally and rule of law elsewhere around the globe.
Initial reaction of the Gambian government was to pretend that the murder of Mr Hydara was nothing more than a routine criminal activity. It was only after intensive pressure that the government of Gambia took calls for an immediate investigation into this seriously most ghastly crime. Four months after Hydara's assassination on April 29th 2005, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) released a purported 'confidential' report, said to 'acquaint the Government of The
Gambia and other interested parties with outcome of investigation so far'. The report which could best be read as a smear campaign veered towards maligning the good name of Mr Hydara, his family and colleagues was full of logical disjunctions, contradictions, harebrained reasoning. In the look of it this report fell short of standards as one that could very well have been written by high school juniors called into investigate the fatal shooting of a high school senior.
Five years on, government of the Gambia appears not bring the matter anywhere near closure.
With no suspects been brought to justice and Gambia government being very jumpy about any mention or call for an effective investigation, barely 5 months ago seven (7) Gambian journalists were illegally arrested and sent to prison for merely calling on the government to investigate Mr Hydara’s murder properly and
bring the perpetrators to justice. Their call for the President of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh to desist from making statements of ridicule about Hydara's murder was regarded as a crime against the state. Though the journalists were later purportedly pardoned by junta leader Yahya Jammeh, the President of the
Gambia Press Union, Ndey Tapha Sosseh is being prevented from returning to the country for fear of persecution by state agents who continue to harass and intimidate media practitioners daring to ask the legitimate question: 'who killed Hydara?'.
As the custodian of the instruments of human rights, the United Nations has a duty to ensure that human rights are not just respected but secured everywhere no matter the size of any given country. It cannot and should not rest while injustice and the abuse of these rights continue. It is in view of the above that The Gambia Press Union branch of United Kingdom, a non partisan body of
Gambian journalists residing in the United Kingdom, is urging the United Nations to put pressure on the government of The Gambia to ensure that media practitioners, human rights activists as well as innocent civilians are protected against state organized invasion of citizen’s rights in Gambia.
Trail of some of the atrocities can be summed as follows:
• 10th April 2000 – Journalist Omar Barrow shot dead at the entrance to the Red Cross headquarters
• 10th & 11th April 2000 – Student demonstrators massacred
• 8th August 2001 – Arson attack on Radio 1 FM radio station. Its proprietor, George Christensen who escaped with burns.
• 10th August 2001 – Arson attack on the home of a member of staff of Radio 1 FM
• 26th December 2003 – Leading barrister, Ousman Sillah was shot and seriously injured
• 13th April 2004 – Arson attack on the press house of The Independent newspaper, burnt down and the paper's printing machine damaged beyond repairs.
• 16th December 2004 – Leading newspaper editor and journalist, Deyda Hydara was assasinated
• July 2006 – Journalist Ebrima 'Chief' Manneh kidnapped by state agents (NIA)
• June/July 2009 – 7 journalists of The Gambia Press Union sent to prison for criticizing President Jammeh over insensitive remarks he made about the unsolved murder case of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara.
We are extremely disturbed by the fact that in all the above mentioned
cases any investigation promised by the police only to end up with excuses, such as 'witnesses have not been forth coming.' As a result, such crimes end up being swept under the carpet. Such a trend is inimical to peace and security, and constitutes a threat to democracy and the rule of law in Gambia.
We trust that you will utilize the full weight of your good office within the best outfit of protocol to salvage Gambia media and civil society from the horrors of state inflicted injustices and threats since the junta seized power more than 15 years in a coup that placed Yahya Jammeh in a self imposing life-president seat all the time since.
Signed:
Sarjo Bayang
President
Gambia Press Union (UK)
No comments:
Post a Comment