As he puts on a show in New York, this is what the world thinks of him.


International Outcry Over Media Commission Bill, Described As Second Highly
Restrictive Legislation in Africa



Email This Page

Print This Page



The Independent (Banjul)

May 10, 2002
Posted to the web May 10, 2002

Banjul

The Committee to Protect Journalists based in New York in the United States
and the World Association of Newspapers have added their voices to the
chorus of disapproval of the National Media Commission Bill, describing it
as a pernicious piece of legislation that would force local journalists to
reveal their sources and conflict with the fundamental right of freedom of
expression.

In a communiqué released earlier this week, the CPJ lamented the fact that
the proposed Commission would be state-dominated, arrogating itself powers
to try journalists who were found to have violated the code of ethics to be
introduced by the Commission.

'Over the past year, Gambian journalists have made successful efforts to
regulate themselves. During the run-up to last October's presidential
elections, for example, the Gambia Press Union adopted a code of conduct for
journalists. Partly as a result, the political coverage was some of the most
balanced in the country's history.

'Shortly after the election, local authorities arrested the owners of the
Gambia's only independent news broadcasters and closed down Citizen FM, one
of the country's most popular radio stations. Another journalist was
arrested and tortured after he reported that thousands of non-citizens had
been illegally registered in order to vote for President Yahya Jammeh.

'Local journalists believe that the current bill is part of an ongoing
government effort to silence domestic criticism in order to improve the
country's international image.

'The Gambian Parliament passed the bill on May 2, the eve of World Press
Freedom Day. It is currently awaiting the signature of President Jammeh.

"The National Media Commission bill is a disaster," said CPJ executive
director Ann Cooper. "If it becomes law, the Gambian government will decide
who gets to be a journalist, and journalists themselves will not have the
ability to protect their sources. We call on President Jammeh to reject the
bill."

'The bill establishes a National Media Commission with jurisdiction over
complaints against journalists. The commission can summon journalists to
reply to complaints and is further empowered to force journalists to reveal
their sources. The president of the commission is to be appointed by the
president of Gambia.

'The bill requires all journalists in the Gambia to register with the
commission, whose wide-ranging powers include the ability to close down
media companies, impose exorbitant fines on journalists, and jail
journalists for contempt.

'The commission will issue one-year, renewable licenses to journalists and
media organizations. Organizations and journalists that do not register will
be subject to a fine of no less than D5,000 (US$278).

Individual journalists who fail to pay this fine can be suspended for nine
months. Media organizations can be suspended for three months.

'The commission can issue warrants for the arrest of any journalist who
ignores a summons to appear before it. The commission will also be
responsible for formulating a journalistic code of ethics.

'A similar draft bill was introduced last year but was shelved after a
leaked copy sparked vigorous protests by journalists and human rights
groups.

'Gambian journalists have lobbied hard against this latest effort to
restrict their work. On May 3, journalists protested the bill's passage on
the streets of the capital, Banjul. The Gambia Press Union says it intends
to pursue legal action in order to have the bill declared unconstitutional.
Many local journalists have already indicated that they will not abide by
the new law.

'The National Media Commission Bill is the second highly restrictive media
bill passed in Africa in recent months. In mid-March, the Zimbabwean
Parliament passed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act,
which also created a state commission to accredit journalists'.

Meanwhile the World Association of Newspapers also registered their concern
to President Jammeh in a letter thus;

Your Excellency,

We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the
World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 100 countries,
to express our serious concern at the passing of a media law that threatens
freedom of the press.

According to reports, on 2 May the National Assembly approved a draft law
that provides for the creation of a commission to control the media.

Under the law, the commission, whose chairman will be appointed by Your
Excellency, will have the powers of a court and will be charged with
licensing journalists and media organs and with adjudicating in complaints
brought against journalists and the private media.

The commission, which will comprise lawyers, teachers, journalists, members
of Christian and Islamic councils, a women's organisation and
representatives of radio and television, will also be empowered to close
down publications.

We are concerned that the media law may conflict with the fundamental right
of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the Gambian constitution
and by numerous international conventions, including the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 of the Declaration states: "Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers."

We respectfully call on you to do everything in your power to ensure that
the media law is not enforced in its current form and that your country
fully respects international standards of freedom of expression.

We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely, Roger Parkinson President World Association of Newspapers

Gloria Brown Anderson President World Editors Forum






_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~