(JollofNews)- President Adama Barrow of the Gambia was Thursday asked by media group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to demonstrate a strong commitment to media freedom by condemning the intimidation of journalists by his supporters.
RSF also urged him to continue his initiatives with regard to justice and the search for the truth about the murders and disappearances of journalists under his predecessor.
In a letter Mr Barrow, Christophe Deloire, director-general of RSF wrote: “Your election has raised great hopes of democratic change in your country and it is with this in mind that Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international organization that defends media freedom, would like to draw your attention to a recent physical attack against a journalist.
Kebba Jeffang, a reporter for the newspaper Foroyaa, was violently attacked by your supporters during the press conference that your foreign, interior and tourism ministers gave on 5 March. Your supporters ejected him from the room, hit him and tore his clothes because he asked a question about the possibility of a split in the ruling coalition in the run-up to legislative elections.
This kind of arbitrary behaviour cannot be overlooked because it would mean tolerating violence against journalists and allowing it to go unpunished, as was the case under your predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, whose long years as president were marked by many violations of human rights and freedom of expression.
We ask you to condemn this act of violence in an unequivocal manner so as to send a strong message to your supporters and to all Gambians. We think it is essential that your fellow citizens do not doubt that a new era, marked by respect for media freedom and the rejection of any violence against journalists, has begun under your presidency.
Your country is ranked 145th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2016 World Press Freedom Index and your predecessor was on RSF’s list of press freedom predators. Under his regime, freedom of information was repeatedly flouted, communications were cut or censored, and journalists were attacked, arrested, tortured, sentenced to death or murdered. Some, such as Chief Ebrimah Manneh, disappeared without any proper investigation by the authorities, leaving families deeply wounded.
In this regard, we welcome the fact that you have shown a desire to investigate these abuses by announcing a Truth and Justice Commission and, on 2 March, by arresting a soldier suspected of having had a hand in the 2004 murder of Deyda Hydara, co-founder of The Point newspaper and correspondent for RSF and AFP. We urge you to ensure that these initiatives are more than goodwill gestures and that they produce concrete results.
We also hail your choice for the position of information, communication and technology minister, Demba Ali Jawo, a former journalist and head of the Gambia Press Union, who has promised the necessary legislative reforms.
In this respect, we insist on the urgent need to repeal the law on sedition, which has too often been used to imprison journalists and restrict free speech, and on the need to amend the information and communication law and the penal code (which were made more restrictive in 2013) in order to ensure that journalists can no longer be imprisoned in connection with their work.
We are aware of the extent of the challenges you face and the wounds that the Gambian people must heal in order to move forward. Deep transformation is essential in order to turn the page on the Jammeh era and to restore Gambians’ trust in state institutions.
This is first and foremost your battle but journalists also have a key role to play in a country’s democratic life. The men and women of the media must be able to work freely in order to rebuild trust between Gambians, democracy and the rule of law. To this end, we hope they will have your full support.”
Charges should be brought up to those who attacked journalists by the UDP supporters and we want police to act now and set a samples.
I don’t think a prosecution is necessary here. An apology and a handshake should be sufficient. The parties also need to restrain their militants, especially officials, at every level. Those who have access to the media, particularly the online radio and social media, on all sides, must watch what they say and what message they put out there.
What we saw was the result of emotions stirred by irresponsible statements against Halifa and PDOIS by mainly UDP militants, since news of an impasse surfaced.
Unless the UDP leadership takes appropriate measures to diffuse these pent up negative emotions against Halifa and PDOIS, we could see a repeat during the campaign. There’s just too much rubbish being said and it’s very dangerous.
Political and economic opportunist begin their quest to a failed State by silencing the press, destroying currency and systematically demolishing public institutions. These are all crimes against a nation, the biggest and most destructive of these ills, is attack on the press. President Barrow must resist any attempt to interfere or influence the freedom of the press and The Gambians freedom of expression.
Good governance , Barrow gives back and block to Sarahuleh community in Paris , more than 6 million sarahules lives in Paris !!! Warning for the whole sarahuleh community that voted for UDP . Not surprises