The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the Gambian authorities' decision to charge Pape Saine, co-proprietor and editor of the Point newspaper, with publication of false information following the printing of an article concerning the arrest of a Gambian diplomat.

"Journalists in The Gambia continue to work in a very hostile environment due to the repressive nature of the Government" said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "Over the past decade, the government has orchestrated a systematic pattern of harassment against journalists and caused many journalists to flee the country. Arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists have become common place while there is evidence of torture being used against journalists in detention."

According to reports from The Gambia, Pap Saine was arrested in the afternoon on Monday 2 February and detained for eight hours before being released on bail. His arrest followed the publication in The Point of a story about a Gambian diplomat who had been arrested by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

The article said the diplomat was moved from the NIA headquarters to the main prison. The authorities are however contesting this statement, insisting that the diplomat is still detained at the NIA headquarters, and using this as the basis of the charges

The IFJ is calling for these charges to be dropped and the journalist fully exonerated.

"These charges just prove the shocking abuse of the justice system by the Gambian authorities," added Baglo.

 For more information contact the IFJ at + 221 33 867 95 87
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide