GAMBIA PRESS UNION
NO. 5 GARBA JAHUMPA ROAD BAKAU NEWTOWN
P. O. Box 1440, Banjul, The Gambia
email: [log in to unmask] url: www.gambiapressunion.org
Press Release
Friday, October 15, 2010
DEYDA HYDARA, CHIEF MANNEH HONOURED
The African Editors Forum (TAEF) yesterday October 14th honoured the Late Deyda Hydara and disappeared journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh with the “‘Hero of African Journalism Award’ at a Gala Dinner held in Hotel Amitie, Bamako, Mali under the patronage of His Excellency Ahmadou Toumani Toure, President of Mali.
Though bittersweet, the Gambia Press Union joins the two families to express its delight, and considers our two heroes privileged to be among five journalists (the late Norbert Zongo, Burkina Faso; Jean Leonard Rugambage, Rwanda; And, Pius Njawe, Camerron) honoured in all of the region.
This recognition also further strengthens our principled belief that the death of Deyda Hydara and the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh will never dampen our spirits, serve as deterrent for professional journalism or cower us in our determination to seek the truth and to report objectively, without fair or favour.
The fact that colleagues all over the continent deem it necessary to remember them for posterity is heartwarming and encouraging. It should send a strong message to the killers of Deyda Hydara and those behind the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh that they can run, they can hide, in the short term, but the truth will one day prevail as we, our partners and those with a conscience all over the world will continue to sing their songs and demand that the truth be unearthed.
Deyda and Chief were honoured alongside distinguished and honourable African leaders, considered ‘friends of the media’, Presidents Nelson Mandela, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Thabo Mbeki, John Kuffour and Alpha Oumar Konare for their efforts in building transparent societies, promoting and implementing media friendly policies in their countries, institutions and across Africa.
Speaking earlier at the opening ceremony of the three day TAEF Bi-Annual Conference and Congress on the theme “Media and the Challenge of Peace in Africa”, Ahmadou Toumani Toure, President of Mali and Chief Patron of the event expressed delight that of recent, media institutions have targeted Mali as the host of their organizations and activities because of its friendliness to the media and efforts being made by his government to implement and build on existing positive media laws. “I have personally been involved in the planning of this meeting, which brings together 200 editors and journalists from all over Africa, given orders to the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Communications to ensure the smooth and successful hosting of this meeting. I am pleased to welcome you here in Mali, your home,” he said.
Deyda Hydara’s award was received by his daughter Marie Piere Hydara and Musa Manneh, brother of Chief Ebrima Manneh represented the Manneh family.
NOTE TO EDITORS
ABOUT DEYDA HYDARA
Deyda Hydara (June 9, 1946 – December 16, 2004) was founder and editor-in-chief of The Point Newsapaper. On December 16, 2004, Hydara was killed in his car by unidentified gunmen. His murder remains unsolved.
He was also a correspondent for both AFP, PANA and Reporters Without borders for more than thirty years. Deyda started journalism as a Radio presenter in The Gambia for Radio Syd, in the early 1970s.
Over the years, he went into the private print press and was a founder member of the Gambia Press Union in 1978. As GPU Chairman and an advocate of freedom of the press, Deyda campaigned tirelessly for press freedom and democracy as the Jammeh Junta brought in draconian laws against political and media opposition.
The murder of Deyda Hydara, aged 58, as he was driving away from his newspaper, came after prolonged tension between authorities and The Gambia's independent media. A few days before his death, the National Assemblys had approved a bill setting out jail terms for journalists found guilty of sedition or libel and stipulating outrageous bonds for newspaper editors.
The government had also been trying to set up a media commission with the power to shut down newspapers and imprison reporters. After pressure from journalists, led by Hydara, the law was dropped on December 13, 2004. Deyda was shot dead three days later.
An activist and charitable person, Deyda served on the boards of several human rights NGOs and charities. He is a founder member of both WAJA and TAEF.
ABOUT CHIEF EBRIMA MANNEH
On June 7th, 2006, Chief Ebrima Manneh, was picked p by plain clothes security officials at his place of work, the Daily Observer Newspaper.
Despite several efforts by the Gambia Press Union, the media establishments and family members to trace his whereabouts the end of his disappearance is still not in sight. The Media Foundation for West Africa supported the family to take up the matter for his release before the ECOWAS Community Court.
On 5 July 2008, following a year-long protracted court case in which the Government of The Gambia was served many notices and five security officials subpoenaed to appear before the courts, the Court ruled in his favour and ordered for his immediate release. The Government was asked to compensate him with US$100,000. The Gambia Government is yet to comply.
Chief Ebrima Manneh until the time of his “disappearance” was assistant editor and State House Correspondent at the Daily Observer Newspaper where he worked since 1998. His column CrimeWatch focused on security concerns, for which he collaborated closely with the Police.
Chief Manneh was born in 1970.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤