Thanks, Chris. I also received your additional $30 to the fund, last weekend. Keep up the good work. Chi Jaama Joe Sambou >From: Chris Sukuna <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [Fwd: Re: Gambia] >Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 10:15:13 -0400 > >Hi all, > >After reading CPJ's (Committee to Protect Journalists) reaction statement >regarding the brutal attack against the Independent I wrote to Ann Cooper >the director and was given an informative response by their Communications >coordinator Wacuka Mungai to contact WAN (World Association of >Newspapers). I just got a response from them and I am forwarding it for >you all to read. Ams, mentioned taking some time to write letters and >perhaps this information will help direct where to write to. Wacuka also, >recommended, www.ned.com (National Endowment for Democracy) and this may >have potential as well. > >Perhaps the most crucial bit of info, is the letter written to Jammeh and >you will see that at the very end of this posting. > >God Bless, > >Chris Sukuna > > > Mu-------- Original Message -------- >Subject: Re: Gambia >From: Aebhric Coleman <[log in to unmask]> >Date: Tue, April 20, 2004 9:32 am >To: <[log in to unmask]> > >Dear Christine Sukuna, > >Thank you for your recent email to the World Association of Newspapers. > >The World Association of Newspapers have been looking closely at the >situation in Gambia. On 16th April, a letter of protest was sent to the >Gambian President concerning the arson attack at the Independent >Newspaper. I enclose a copy for your information. You may also access >the letter directly on our website: >http://www.wan-press.org/protests.php3 > >In addition, we are in the process of contacting the managing editor of >the Independent in Gambia for an interview in RAP 21 (an initiative of >WAN : www.rap21.org) to publicize the case. > >Concerning practical assistance, my colleagues have suggested that you >could contact some of the larger newspapers in Senegal, who may be >willing to print the newspaper at their printing plants until the >Independent has found another solution. I understand my colleagues have >already made this suggestion to the Managing Director of the >Independent, so perhaps this project could be launched as a joint >initiative. > >I hope the above is helpful. If you have any further questions, please >do not hesitate to contact us. > >Best regards, > > >Aebhric Coleman >Manager, Office of the Director General > >World Association of Newspapers >7, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire >75005 Paris >France > >Direct: + 33- (0)1 - 47 42 85 11 >Gen Tel: + 33 - (0)1 - 47 42 85 00 >Fax: + 33 - (0)1 - 47 42 49 48 > >Email: [log in to unmask] > >http://www.wan-press.org > > >We have moved! >As of 1 January 2004, the address of WAN, WAN Training and Events and >the >World Editors Forum is 7 Rue Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 75005 Paris, France. >Our contact numbers remain the same. > > >* 57th World Newspaper Congress, > 11th World Editors Forum > Info Services Expo 2004 > 30 May-2 June 2004 > Istanbul, Turkey > >* World Forum on Newspaper Strategy > 30 September-1 October 2004 > Paris, France > >* Beyond the Printed Word, the World Electronic Publishing Conference > 3-4 November 2004 > Prague, Czech Republic > >* 2004 Editor and Marketeer Conference & Expo > 25-26 November 2004 > Lisbon, Portugal > >* 2005 World Newspaper Advertising Conference & Expo > 24-25 February 2005 > Rome, Italy > >* 6th World Young Reader Conference > 6-9 March 2005 > New Delhi, India > >* 58th World Newspaper Congress > 12th World Editors Forum > Info Services Expo 2005 > 29 May-2 June 2005 > Seoul, Korea > > > > > > >SENT 16th APRIL 2004 > >His Excellency President Dr Alhaji AJJ Jammeh > >Banjul, Gambia > >Email: [log in to unmask] > >16 April 2004 > > > >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 an arson attack on the >printing press of The Independent newspaper. > >According to reports, in the early hours of 13 April six armed men >stormed the building housing the printing press of the privately-owned >bi-weekly The Independent, in Kanifing, a suburb of Banjul. The men >fired shots inside the building before dousing equipment with petrol and >setting it alight. The attackers also reportedly attempted to lock >employees inside the burning building. Although all staff members >escaped, three were injured while doing so. > >All of The Independent’s printing equipment, which had only been >operating for three months, and all copies of that day’s newspaper were >destroyed in the attack. This is not the first time that The >Independent, which has been critical of the government, has come under >attack. In October 2003, three unidentified men set fire to the >newspaper's main offices, forcing staff to relocate temporarily. >Despite promises of a police investigation into the October fire, The >Independent has received no word from authorities about progress in the >case. > >We respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to provide >an environment in which journalists are able to carry out their >professional duties without fear of intimidation. Such incidents foster >a climate of fear that inhibits journalistic investigation and can >promote self-censorship. > > We respectfully call on you to take all necessary steps to ensure that >the investigation into the arson attack on The Independent is carried >out in an effective and transparent manner and that those responsible >are swiftly brought to justice. We urge you to do everything possible to >ensure that attacks on the media do not go unpunished and that all >citizens may exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear >of intimidation. > >We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. > >Yours sincerely, > >Seok Hyun Hong > >President > >World Association of Newspapers > > > >Gloria Brown Anderson > >President > >World Editors Forum > > > > > >cc: Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations > > Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ MSN Toolbar provides one-click access to Hotmail from any Web page – FREE download! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200413ave/direct/01/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~