The government of President Yahya Jammeh is coming under increasing pressure both locally and internationally as calls to release the detained Independent Newspaper editorial staffers Madi Ceesay and Musa Saidykhan intensified.The Gambia Press Union UK based branch under the Secretary Generalship of Alieu Badara Sowe today issued a statement calling on The Gambian authorities to release the detained journalists. GPU UK says they are deeply worried about the current crack down on the Independent Press. Below is the full statement. Please read on……
THE GAMBIA PRESS UNION / UNITED KINGDOM BRANCH
PRESS RELEASE
The Editor-In-Chief of The Independent newspaper, Musa Saidykhan and the paper's Managing Director Madi Ceesay continue to languish in detention in The Gambia without any explantion from the Gambia authorities as to why they are in custody. Mr Saidykhan was picked up from his home in the middle of the night, on Monday March 27, 2006, by personnel of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in collaboration with men from the Intervention Unit (PIU) of The Gambia Police Force. He was taken to the PIU headquarters but later transfered to the NIA headquaters in the capital Banjul.
On Tuesday morning, Mr Ceesay who is also the President of The Gambia Press Union was picked up from the offices of The Independent and taken to the headquarters of the Police Intervention Unit. Messrs Saidykhan and Ceesay have since then been transfered to the Serious Crime Unit at the police headquarters in Banjul where they are still being detained. So far the Gambian authorities have chosen to be tight-lipped on the reason for the two men's arrest and continuous detention.
Meanwhile, the offices of the newspaper have been sealed off without lawful authority from the courts. No one is being allowed to enter the premises and members of staff who reported for work were whisked away to the Police Intervention Unit where they are detained for several hours before being released and allowed to go home without being given any indication as to why they were arrested in the first place.
The United Kingdom branch of The Gambia Press Union is deeply concerned with this high-handed action by the Gambian authorities. We! are therefore calling on President Yahya Jammeh and his government to release immediately the detained journalists and allow, without further hindrance, The Independent to carry on with its legitimate publication.
Signed: Alieu Badara Sowe
Secretary General GPU/UK