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Gambia: Press Freedom in the Country Still Under Attack!!!!
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Freedom Newspaper (Raleigh, North Carolina)
15 March 2008
Posted to the web 17 March 2008
Scott a Morgan
One of the best sources of Gambian news that is available online has come under attack. That source The Freedom Newspaper which is based in Raliegh, North Carolina in the United States had its access to the country blocked by GAMTEL the State Telecommunications Company. This action was taken in response to a story the paper carried about the company.
This action meant that the only source of information available to the Gambian people were those sponsored by the state. So effectively for a short period of time there was a news blackout from The Gambia. This action shows that any efforts that are deemed necessary to crackdown on the independent media are the rule, not the exception.
Since December 2004 when Deyda Hydara the editor of The Point was murdered in cold blood by unknown assailants press freedom has been on a short leash. In July of 2006 journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh disappeared. The case of journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh who is a United States resident, was delayed again as the magistrate failed to show up for the proceedings.
Ms. Manneh is currently facing Charges of sedition for an Article that she posted on www.allgambian.net . In the Item she criticized President Jammeh rule within Gambia. The case has been bouncing around Gambian court systems for the Last Year. If found guilty of the charges, She faces a 7 Year jail term.
These incidents are just the lowlights of what is currently occurring within Gambia. Late last year, two researchers from Amnesty International were arrested with a Gambian base journalist Mr Yaya Dampha while investigating the whereabout of a missing Gambian Journalist.Their driver was also detained as well. The members of the human rights group were released after intervention by the embassies of the United States, Great Britain and Nigeria.
One of the basic tenets of a free society is a free and independent press. These acts of intimidation are indicative of a government led by Individuals that are drunk with power. They have even used Gambians living in the United States to threaten those internet journalists who dare to print what the current government doesn't want people to see.
The region itself is a potential powder keg. There are rebels from the Casamance region currently in Gambian jails facing treason charges as well. No one knows how these case will be adjudicated. There is also a growing narcotics trade in Guniea-Bissau as new allegations that neighboring Senegal is conducting intelligence operations within the Gambia have taken shape.
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For whatever reason, the tiny West African State:The Gambia, is on the Brink. Could it therefore be its power hungry President and his desire to hang on top power? Could it also be the rising regional tension in the country? Is it a combination of both the aforementioned factors or Something unseen? Whatever it is, the situation isn't as alarming as the crisis in Darfur. However, it is important for the United States, the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations to watch the Gambia with caution. The situation may take the international community with Surprise.
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| Copyright © 2008 Freedom Newspaper. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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