The United Kingdom branch of the Gambia Press Union is hereby calling on the United Nations to
urgently intervene by putting pressure on the government of the Gambia to seriously investigate the
murders of prominent Gambian journalists, Omar Barrow and Deyda Hydara as well as put an end
to the persistent reign of terror against journalists, human rights activists and innocent civilians in
the West African state.
It is 5 years today (16th December 2009) since Deydra Hydara, a newspaper editor and publisher of
The Point newspaper was brutally murdered near a police station in the Gambia whilst driving
home. Eye-witness accounts indicated that he was shot at from a car without number plates. Two
members of Heydra'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 the bullets that were sprayed
on the moving vehicle. In the case of Ms Jobe, a bullet was lodged somewhere in her legs, which
was later extracted by surgeons at a hospital in the capital city of neighbouring Senegal, Dakar.
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 to perpetrate a reign of terror against journalists, human
rights activists and innocent civilians. Since Hydaras murder, 5 years ago there has been an
apparent lack of progress in the investigation into his death despite widespread condemnation
nationally and internationally by journalists, journalist onganisations, human rights groups and
others concerned with justice and the rule of law.
The 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 took seriously calls for an immediate investigation into this most ghastly crime. Four
months after Hydara's assassination on April 29th 2005, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)
released a supposedly 'confidential' report, which purported to 'acquaint the Government of The
Gambia and other interested parties with the outcome of the 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 which
could very well have been written by high school juniors called into investigate the fatal shooting of
a high school senior during a prom night gone awry, nay a high school junior would have done a
better job!
Five years on, the government of the Gambia appear to have brought closure to the matter even
though no-one has been brought to justice and have become very jumpy about any mention or call
for an effective investigation. Barely 5 months ago 7 Gambian journalists were illegally arrested
and sent to prison for merely calling on the government to properly investigate Hydara's death and
bring the perpetrators to justice. Their call for the President of the Gambia Yahya Jammah 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 the President, the President of the
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
continue asking 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 the 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 banditry.
The 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 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, which
burned down and disabled the paper's printing machine
• 16th December 2004 – Leading newspaper editor and journalist, Deyda Hydara 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 critisizing the
President over insensitive remarks he made about the unsolved murder case of veteran
journalist Deyda Hydara
We are extremely disturbed by the fact that in each and everyone of the above mentioned
cases,investigation have been 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.

Signed: Sarjo Bayang

Chairman Gambia Press Union UK
                                          
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