Hydara? 8 because the bill has already been passed by the national assembly,” he said on Radio France Internationale ( RFI) on 17 December. “He wasn’t the only critic”, he added. “There were also members of the national assembly who were vehemently opposed to it, even some members of the ruling party voted against it and the other independent newspapers also criticized the bill, so I don’t see any link between the law and the shooting.” The Reporters Without Borders representative is not in a position to say at the end of this visit that Hydara was working on a particularly sensitive subject or that a private dispute had pitted him against anyone in particular. “He was used to being threatened, by letter or phone,” his partner Saine said. “It had even become the subject of jokes.” The only recent threats Hydara had publicly alluded to were anonymous telephone threats. He had mentioned them to a close friend during two lunches, on 13 and on 15 December, the eve of his death. According to Badjie, the police inspector general, Hydara said the threats came from “those who don’t like what I publish.” Conclusions and recommendations Everything suggests that Deyda Hydara was murdered by well-organised professionals in a premeditated operation. As his partner, Pap Saine, should also have been in his car that evening, The Point’s entire management may have been targeted. The manner in which the shots were fired at the car indicates there may have been a desire to kill everyone inside. The context of this murder includes the fact that individuals claiming to support President Jammeh had already threatened leading representatives of the independent press in Gambia. In view, inter alia, of the strong similarities in method of operation, it is not unreasonable to presume a link between Hydara’s murder, the attempted murder of lawyer Ousman Sillah, the abduction of Abdoulie Sey, the arson attack on The Independent and the arson attack on Ebrahima Sillah’s home. Reporters Without Borders noted during its visit that most of the persons it talked to, both journalists and others, regard the police with suspicion. Most of the witnesses cited in this report were afraid of being questioned by the authorities as they were convinced that the state, in one way or another, was involved in Hydara’s murder. Reporters Without Borders therefore recommends the immediate creation of an independent commission of enquiry to establish the circumstances of Hydara’s murder and determine who was responsible, with guarantees for the investigation’s impartiality and the protection of witnesses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text Check MailComposeCompose Text Msg Search MailSearch the Web Move Options [New Folder] Forward Options As Inline Text As Attachment Reply Options Reply To Sender Reply To Everyone Mail Shortcuts Check Mail Ctrl++C Compose Ctrl++P Folders Ctrl++F Advanced Search Ctrl++S Options Help Ctrl++H Address Book Shortcuts Add Contact Add Category Add List View Contacts View Lists Quickbuilder Import Contacts Synchronise Addresses Options Addresses Help Calendar Shortcuts Add Event Add Task Add Birthday Day Week Month Year Event List Reminders Tasks Sharing Synchronise Calendar Options Calendar Help Notepad Shortcuts Add Note Add Folder View Notes Notepad Options Notepad Help Advanced Search Advanced Search Copyright © 1994-2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service - Guidelines NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use y _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ 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 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] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤