FIVE YEARS ON DEYDA HYDARA'S KILLER(S) STILL AT LARGE

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the murder of our colleague, mentor, friend and brother journalist Deyda Hydara, on December 16, 2004, the Coalition for human rights in The Gambia once again denounces the fact that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are yet to be brought to book.

Today, we wish to honour the memory of Deyda Hydara and to register our stance against the overt or covert condoning of any form of impunity by the Government of The Gambia.

We are outraged that after five years, apart from a National Intelligence Agency Published “confidential report” in 2005, two GPU/National Security Council Meetings (2004/2008), the recent jailing of six journalists including three senior members of the Gambia Press Union over comments by President Yahya Jammeh on the Deyda Hydara murder, the perpetrators are still unidentified and the investigations into the case stalled.

Today, the Coalition wishes to call the public’s attention to the fact that the perpetrators of this heinous crime have not yet been brought to book. They roam our streets freely lurking behind dark shadows.

It has been brought to my notice that a meeting of the Technical Committee on Judicial and Legal Affairs is to take place in Abuja from 28 September to 3 October 2009. This meeting is reportedly convened by the ECOWAS Commission to review proposals made by the Government of the Gambia in 2008, for amendment to the ECOWAS Treaty (1993) and the Supplementary Protocol A/SP.1 /01 /05 relating to the Community Court of Justice. As a political leader in West Africa I would like to draw the attention of the Commission in particular and representatives of civil society organisations in West Africa at large to the procedural lapses which has occasioned the handling of this proposal from the Gambia and further question the merits of the proposals with a view to promoting a substantive debate on them by all stakeholders.

A lot has been said today, I am thanking and greeting you in the name of my government, my family and myself and the entire people of the country. The country could progress more than what prevails now but that could not be in the absence of committed Gambians who are willing to work for the development of the country. Imagine when I made the announcement that I will provide cattle so that meat of good quality will be available and affordable to the people, the mayor of KMC also called me indicating that KMC would also need meat. I told him that up to 21 bulls is available which they could slaughter, sell and return my money. The mayor called me later to indicate that there is a problem because there is no butcher in KMC who is a Gambian who can sell the meat.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE OPEN LETTER

Coalition for Human rights in The Gambia Press Release 10th September 2009

On Wednesday September 8th, 2009, unknown individuals broke into the house of Mrs Adelaide Sosseh, the mother of Ndey Tapha Sosseh, President of The Gambia Press Union, GPU, in Yarambamba Estate, Yundum, which happens to be Ndey Tapha’s permanent residence. The break in which happened in broad daylight, was carried out at a time when the house was empty and there was a heavy downpour of rain. The individuals ransacked the whole house, obviously looking for compromising documents which could be used against the family. The Police have been duly informed and they been to the scene twice but have not taken any statements or pictures.

In an open letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police in Banjul, the President of the GPU, who is currently based in Bamako, has called on the Criminal Investigation department to diligently and effectively investigate the matter so that the Culprits are brought to book. She also requested for the IGP to reassure and guarantee her family, especially her mother, her physical and psychological integrity.

There is absolutely no doubt that all Gambians, and people of goodwill all over the world are quite happy and relieved by the release of the six journalists who were recently tried and sentenced to two years imprisonment, accompanied by heavy fines, apparently just for daring to express their different view points from those held by President Yahya Jammeh.

Of course while everyone must thank President Jammeh for no doubt succumbing to the intense international pressure applied on him since the arrest of the journalists, but it should not be seen as a benevolent gesture as these people should never have been imprisoned in the first place. Therefore, his action can only be seen as correcting an injustice perpetrated by his regime.

The ambiguousness of the offences these journalists were charged with and the harshness of the sentences imposed on them, were indeed hard to comprehend and no one in their right frame of mind would have ever thought that such naked travesty of justice could still happen anywhere in Africa, let alone in present day Gambia.