Media Helping Media

Six of the seven Gambian journalists, arrested on sedition charges, remain in jail after a high court hearing. New charges of criminal defamation were brought in connection with media coverage of the Gambian president’s handling of the investigation into the death of journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004. Demonstrations were staged in Africa and the UK urging the Gambian government to respects media freedom and release the seven.

The seventh, Mrs Sarata Dibba Jabbi, the only women amongst those charged, was granted bail to look after her six-month-old baby until the next sitting.

The six will now be held in Banjul’s Mile Two prison until Wednesday 8 July.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it is outraged with the decision and calls for the six to be released immediately and unconditionally.

Media freedom groups staged demonstrations in Africa and the UK as the seven appeared in court in Banjul, Gambia.

New charges of criminal defamation were brought in connection with media coverage of the Gambian president’s handling of the investigation into the death of journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004.

The journalists were due to appear in court next week, but the hearing was brought forward to today. Campaigners for the journalists say the decision was made by the Gambian government in an effort to avoid adverse publicity.

The accused will now be held in Banjul’s Mile Two prison until Wednesday 8 July.

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), says the Gambian government is making a mistake imprisoning the accused journalists further.

"We strongly condemn the unwise decision by the Gambian judges to remand our colleagues in jail," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President.

"This action flies in the face of the strongest global protest in Africa since the fight against apartheid, involving the world journalists' community, the global trade union movement, and scores of human rights groups."

According to reports, the judge in Banjul revoked their bail without giving any reason and requested their legal team to re-submit the bail application.

On a day of activities against what media freedom campaigners claim is a repression of press freedom in Gambia, the IFJ President joined a delegation from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ, an IFJ affiliate, the British Trades Union Congress (TUC)and Amnesty to delivered a letter of protest to President Jammeh of the Gambia at the country's High Commission in London.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) handed in a letter at the Gambian embassy in Brussels and other IFJ affiliates in Sweden, Switzerland, France and Italy.

In Africa, the IFJ affiliate and media representatives joined the president of the Gambian Press Union (GPU) in a news conference in Dakar, Senegal, and handed a protest letter to the Gambia High commission. The Journalists’ union in Ethiopia did the same.

The IFJ says the court decision will only energised further the campaign to secure justice and the release of the detained journalists.

"We will carry on and expand our global campaign until our colleagues are freed and the charges dropped," added Boumelha.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned what it calles the "unprecedented harassment" of the seven.

The CPJ's Africa Programme Coordinator Tom Rhodes said it looks like a government campaign against independent media.

"The charges against these journalists represent a government ploy to wipe out the last vestiges of the private press in the country and the courts should reverse this decision and release the journalists immediately," he said.