BANJUL, Gambia -- Scores of reporters jailed, some emerging with tales of police beatings. Newspapers shuttered. A journalist forced into hiding.Gambia _ a sliver of a nation on the West African coast _ bills itself to foreigners as a cheerful beach resort, but critics say the country shelters a corrupt regime that is arresting reporters and closing down papers to silence opponents ahead of September presidential elections.Musa Sheriff, a reporter for a weekly Gambian magazine, said he just expected to be questioned when he saw his name on the list of people accused of passing information to Freedom Newspaper, an opposition Web site run by a Gambian living in the United States. Instead, Sheriff was thrown in jail for eight days and beaten when he didn't supply any useful information. Sheriff said he, and the dozens of others arrested, were only subscribers."There's a special place they take you where they beat for 10 or 15 minutes," Sheriff said. "Hitting you, kicking you. ... Seven or six people were on me and beating me." He said others in his cell were also beaten, including a 14-year-old who subscribed to the site.

Flabbergasted

While I welcome Yankuba Jambang's respond to my letter, am very disappointed to see the the lack of professionalism and respect he openly demonstrated his rejoinder. As advoctors of freedom of  expression, it expected of us  to be tolerant and respectful to each others political views on any issue especially those of national development I have expected Yankuba to tell Gambians why Jammeh is not going to win the next election. Instead, he made personal attacks on me which exposed his lack of respect to others. Instead making personal attacks on him, I will use my precious time to state nothing but the facts for the benefit of all.In his attempts to put sense into my head, Yankuba due to his pigheadedness has forgotten that the last elections were declared free and fair and reflected the views of the Gambian people by three political leaders who contested against Jammeh.