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Momodou
Denmark
11639 Posts |
 Posted - 14 May 2011 : 18:50:25
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Dailynews Editorial:Detention and Release of Our Own Baba Sillah
Friday, May 13, 2011
The arrest, detention and subsequent release of a judicial reporter of The Daily News are an act of another interruption and threat to independent journalists in their work.
Baba Sillah was assigned to make further findings about the alleged murder of one Cherno Alieu Suwareh, who was allegedly tortured to death by four officers of National Drug Enforcement Agency of The Gambia.
He was carrying out an official assignment that is meant to clear the air surrounding the case. He was detained for almost half an hour and released. The cover of the reporter’s notebook was torn and the notebook was searched through for any information concerning the murder case.
The police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yorro Mballow told The Daily News that the judicial reporter has to be blamed for his detention; that he should have contacted him for any information.
Sillah had contacted the police PRO for comment but the officer said he could not comment, because the matter was still being investigated, that is why the reporter felt it necessary to find an alternative source of getting the facts.
It is very unfortunate and indeed disappointing for the spokesperson of the Gambia Police Force to blame a reporter for his own arrest while investigating a matter from a station diary office of police.
Though there is no Information Act to enable journalists have access to public information to publish in the legitimate interest of the public, it does not make investigation of matters with security or concerned authorities a crime.
Our judicial correspondent couldn’t be more right than saying that what he did was what he and other journalists have been doing by going to the police spokesperson for confirmation and details for the sake of accuracy.
If the police spokesperson has done it in other cases, why not this one. Or even parade them on GTRS as has become the norm for even suspects.
There should be equality before the law.
The Gambia Press Union should consult and collaborate with the Gambia Bar Association and the National Assembly to work on mechanisms and come up with a Bill on Access to Public Information and even the reviewing and repealing of all draconian media laws that hang as deadly traps to ambush journalist in doing their noble job.
They can after the formulation of the Bill convene an outreach forum to sensitise stakeholders on the significance of an Information Bill and barrier created by draconian media laws.
It was just last weekend that Babucarr Camara of sportsgambia.com was harassed by a GFA official and now our own Baba Sillah was arrested, detained and released on Monday while doing his legitimate job. These are unacceptable treatments meted out to independent journalists in The Gambia.
The issue of free press and that of expression, which will be inconceivable without access to information, especially public information should be a public concern as well.
To attain this, the Gambia Press Union should learn from their colleagues in Sierra Leonea, Liberia, Ghana and Mali by consistently engaging Gambian authorities until there is press freedom and freedom of expression in The Gambia.
Our Sierra Leonean colleagues have petitioned their government and handed a copy to their President Earnest Bai Koroma at their State House and one to the Speaker of the Sierra Leonean House of Representative.
This was preceded by procession on the streets to serve these public officials with copies of the said petition at their respective offices. We are appealing to the umbrella body of media, The Gambia Press Union to take the bull by the horn and address issues that affect the freedom and liberty of its membership by mounting an effective national campaign.
The Gambia is at a crossroad of freedoms that are fundamental, which is why everybody should be a stakeholder, for justice to guide our actions towards the common good.
Source: Dailynews
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11639 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2011 : 18:52:42
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Daily News Reporter Detained While Investigating Killing Involving Anti-Drug Officers
By Binta A Bah
Friday, May 13, 2011
 Police in Banjul on Monday briefly detained The Daily News’ judicial correspondent who was investigating the killing of a man allegedly tortured by four officers of National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA).
Mr Cherno Alieu Suwareh was allegedly tortured to death by four NDEA officers: Eku Grant, Ebou Lowe, Abdoulie E. Jallow and Matarr Sey Jawo. The four men are being detained.
Mr Baba Sillah was probing into this murder incident when he was arrested and detained for about half an hour on the orders of the station officer at police headquarters in Banjul, who found the journalist taking details of the incident from a diary officer after the police spokesperson declined to comment.
“My notebook was seized and handed over to one female police officer who tore the cover of my book where I wrote the names of the suspected killers,” Mr Sillah said.
Baba said, his notebook was searched through and after no information regarding the NDEA officials was found, he was released.
When contacted, the police spokesperson, Yorro Mballow said he was not aware of Mr Sillah’s arrest and detention.
“Sillah has no one to blame but himself. If he needs any information, he should have contacted me,” the police spokesperson said.
However, Mr Sillah said, it is a practice that journalists obtain details of newsworthy incidents from the police spokesperson and Mballow has been doing it on other cases, but refused to do it this time.
Source: Dailynews |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 14 May 2011 : 19:17:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Momodou
Dailynews Editorial:Detention and Release of Our Own Baba Sillah
Friday, May 13, 2011
The arrest, detention and subsequent release of a judicial reporter nd
Source: Dailynews
"The police Public Relations Officer, ASP Yorro Mballow told The Daily News that the judicial reporter has to be blamed for his detention; that he should have contacted him for any information."
What utter rubbish, people are ENTITLED to know the facts and not what some sections of society think that they should be told,but in Gambia that is not the case and those in the media have a very hard job to try to do.
Free speech and freedom,sometimes is not allowed in many countries, this is one of the primary reasons for the unrest that is sweeping many countries today,the people are getting very very fed up. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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