DAKAR, Aug 14 (AFP) - Rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) urged Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to block a controversial media law, which it says would undermine press freedoms, in a statement obtained by AFP Wednesday. AI said it was worried by the Gambian parliament's adoption of a new media law "which will further limit free speech" if enacted. Under the new law, a national media commission with the same powers as a court of law will be set up. The commission will examine complaints against media outlets and their employees, and will have power to bring them to trial. It will be empowered to deliver, suspend or retract the authorisation required by media professionals to practise their profession. AI called the restrictions "totally unjustified." "They walk rough-shod over the law and the freedom of expression and could muzzle the Gambian press and undermine its independence," the statement said. Amnesty urged Jammeh to "guarantee freedom of speech in Gambia by refusing to promulgate the law." The measure has also been condemned by journalists in the Gambia and by international press advocacy groups including Paris-based Reporters without Borders and the Union of West African Journalists. AI said three journalists have been arrested in the Gambia since the start of the year "for simply ... carrying out their profession." One of the journalists, Pa Ousmane Darboe, a reporter for The Independent newspaper who was arrested nearly two weeks ago, is still in detention. Darboe is being held over an article he wrote announcing the marriage of Gambia's vice president to a retired teacher, whose associates have denied the report. The BBC's Gambia correspondent and a Congolese journalist who works for pan-African news agency Panapress were both arrested in July, but have been released. In its statement, AI "urged the Gambian authorities to give firm guarantees on the right to free speech in line with international treaties to which the Gambia is party. Jammeh came to power in a coup in the tiny west African country in 1994. His Patriotic Alliance for Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party won a resounding victory in parliamentary elections in January, which were boycotted by the opposition. APRC lawmakers hold 45 of the 48 elected seats in Gambia's parliament. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~