The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) today marked the 19th anniversary of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s rise to power with the launch of a campaign to highlight the continued deterioration of press freedom in the country.
The MFWA’s “Gambia Day of Action” calls on Internet users worldwide to protest a “new draconian Internet law” and “the worsening conditions of freedom of expression in The Gambia” under Jammeh’s rule.
The text of a statement released by the MFWA appears below.
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Ending 19 years of repression and impunity in The Gambia –Take action now
July 22, 2013, marks 19 years of President Yahya Jammeh’s rule of West Africa’s smallest country, the Gambia, after the 48-year old leader [seized] power in 1994 through a military coup.
The 19-year rule of President Jammeh has been characterised by brutal repression of citizens’ rights to free expression. Freedom of speech and media rights have remained stifled mainly through the application of inimical laws and the meting out of stiffer punishments after politically-motivated trials.
During the period, dozens of human rights advocates and journalists have been exiled, others have been killed and several others have disappeared. In the Gambia today, critical media reportage is literally outlawed, while other rights violations continue to be perpetrated by the government with gross impunity. For example, the Jammeh regime has refused to comply with two human rights judgments delivered against it by the regional community Court of Justice (the ECOWAS Court) since 2010.
While traditional media remained repressed, Gambian citizens have over the years relied on the Internet as an alternative channel for expressing themselves. Gambians based home and abroad have, over the years, used the Internet to advocate for the respect and protection of human rights (especially freedom of expression) in the country. Online freedom too has now been severely restricted through a new draconian Internet law passed on July 3, 2013.
The new Internet law, known as the Information and Communication Act of 2013, allows for a 15-year jail term and/or a US $90,000 fine for the offence of “publication of false news” about the government on the Internet. Many have expressed concern about the obvious dire implications of the law on online freedom and freedom of expression in the Gambia.
On this day, July 22, marked by human rights organisations and civil society groups globally as “Gambia Day of Action,” the MFWA entreats all Internet-users across the world to join the campaign to protest against the new Internet law and the worsening conditions of freedom of expression in The Gambia.
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For a visual impression of Human rights situation in The Gambia click here.
To see a video on the “Dangerous Business of Journalism in The Gambia” click here.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this statement are those of the author, and they do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the International Press Institute.
