The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has called on President John Atta Mills and other African leaders meeting in Sirte in Libya to condemn the systematic campaign being waged by President Yahya Jammeh’s administration to undermine media freedom and freedom of expression in The Gambia.

In a press statement copied to ghanabusinessnews.com Friday July 3, 2009, the MFWA also called on Heads of State to impress upon President Jammeh to unconditionally drop all criminal charges preferred against seven Gambian journalists and Press Union executives standing trial following their criticism of President Jammeh for speaking ill of slain editor, Deyda Hydara. The Gambian Press Union (GPU) currently cannot operate inside The Gambia, it added.

The statement said, the accused persons were arrested separately on June 15, 2009, detained for more than the seventy two hours without appearing in court as the country’s constitution stipulates, and were hurriedly arraigned before a magistrate court without their counsels.

Initially, the magistrate court ordered them to reappear on July 7, 2009 but surprisingly, the authorities instead summoned them to reappear on July 3. The case has also been transferred to the Banjul High Court instead of the Kanifing Magistrate court which began
the trial.

What is more worrying the according to the statement is the fact that two more charges – “conspiracy to commit defamation” and “defamation of the President” – have been added, bringing to five the number of criminal charges brought against the journalists.

MFWA believes that this latest move by the authorities is possibly to prevent the public from following the case and to ensure that the
journalists are convicted.

The MFWA fears that the journalists will not get fair hearing in court as the Gambian government has continuously demonstrated its disregard for lawful and constitutional order as was clearly demonstrated in the recent dismissal of the country’s Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice, the statement said.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi