READ THE STATEMENT BELOW
GAMBIA PRESS UNION
PRESS STATEMENT
A Journalist clocks 7 YEARS in desertion
A Case of Impunity and Threat to National Security
Saturday, 7th July 2011 marked the seventh year of the disappearance
of Chief Ebrima Manneh, a senior reporter with the Daily Observer
Newspaper. An eye witnesses testified at the ECOWAS Community court
that he was arrested by plain clothes State security agents at his
office in Bakau. Family sources have it that on the faithful day of
his disappearance, he left home for work and never returned home.
Sequel to his disappearance, the Accra-based Media Foundation for West
Africa instituted civil action against The Gambia Government. In their
prayers, the NGO asked the community court to grant an order asking
the Gambia authorities to release Manneh who they believe is in state
custody. Later, the ECOWAS court in Abuja, Nigeria, granted the
prayers sought by the plaintiff and ordered The Gambia Government to
release Manneh and pay him a compensation of 100,000.00 US Dollars.
Following this decision, the Gambian Government through its Attorney
General at the time, Marie Saine Firdaus, told lawmakers at the
National Assembly in Banjul that Manneh is not in the custody of the
state.
A former Attorney General Edward Anthony Gomez, indicated in an
interview with The Daily News that Chief Ebrima Manneh is alive, but
did not give details of the whereabouts of the missing journalist.
Gambian Inspector General of Police, Yankuba Sonko, told The Standard
newspaper in an interview that Interpol had indicated to them that
Chief Ebrima Manneh arrived in the United States of America, but did
not give details of his trip.
President Jammeh himself said during an interview with media chiefs
that he has no hand in Chief Manneh’s death. Cindy Gregg, a former
Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy told The Standard
newspaper that The Gambia Government had written to the United Nations
asking it to help in the investigation of the disappearance of Chief
Ebrima Manneh.
While we welcome the government’s decision to invite the UN to help in
the investigation of the case, we submit that the American Government
should work with The Gambia Government and the United Nations with a
view to unearthing the truth about the whereabouts of Chief Ebrima
Manneh. We further submit that Interpol should clarify when Chief
Ebrima Manneh arrived in the United States and to provide details of
his whereabouts.
Finally, we conclude by urging all those that know anything about the
disappearance of Manneh to provide such details to the law enforcement
agents.
Signed
Executive Board
--
Gibairu Janneh
Executive Director
Gambia Press Union
Tel: (220) 9715907
Skype: gibairu_janne
