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
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