Media Watchdog Concerned About Gambia Press Trial

 

BRUSSELS (AFP)--A respected international media watchdog expressed concern Thursday about the trial in Gambia of seven journalists for sedition and criminal defamation for having criticised the president.


The judge in the closed-doors trial was "showing little impartiality," said Jim Boumelha, head of the International Federation of Journalists.


"By conducting the hearing in camera [behind closed doors], he is denying people all over the world who have been following this trial the ability to hear the arguments," said Boumelha.


"This is a gross miscarriage of justice and the trial must be opened to observers."


The six men and a woman from The Point and Foroyaa dailies are accused of sedition because both their newspapers carried a statement from the Gambia Press Union criticising President Yahya Jammeh.


The statement came after Jammeh told state television on June 8 that the government had "no stake" in the 2004 murder of journalist Deyda Hydara and rebuffed persistent speculation of high-level involvement in the killing.


Jammeh instead hinted that the investigative reporter's love life had led to his murder by unidentified gunmen.


The GPU reacted with the statement, saying the president's comments were " provocative," inappropriate and amounted to "character assassination."


Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia since taking power in a bloodless coup, warned journalists Wednesday against tarnishing the image of the West African country.


"Any journalist who thinks that he or she can write whatever he or she wants, and go free, is making a big mistake", Jammeh told state owned GRTS television.
"If anybody is caught, he will be severely dealt with." 
  (END) Dow Jones Newswires  07-23-090916ET  Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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