As The World Press Freedom Day Is Celebrated The Media In The Gambia Is Bleeding.

Tomorrow is World Press Freedom Day, it is on this day that the media in the world look at it self and assess its achievements and sort comings. It is also on this day that the media closely assess the measure of press freedom from all quarters. The media in the Gambia is characterized with one of hostility and suppression from the enemies of press freedom.

As the world commemorates the day the Gambia still mourns the brutal killing of Deyda Hydara, which is three solid years today without anymore investigations into his killing. He was killed by the enemies of press freedom for no other crime but one of just doing his job as a journalist.

As the world commemorates the day which is set aside by UNESCO, Journalists Ebrima Manneh of the Daily Observer has been missing since July of 2006. Manneh got missing while working as a reporter with the daily observer. He is said to have been arrested whiles at work. This was denied by the arresting authorities in some quarters.  Manneh’s case is already at the West African Court (ECOWAS) in Abuja.

As the world commemorates this important day, the media in the Gambia has four of its media institutions closed down without any court orders. The Citizen FM radio is currently shut with no chances of coming on air anymore. The proprietor Baboucarr Gaye died October of 2007, without fulfilling one of his aims. He died leaving behind his radio closed.

As the world commemorates the day, the Independent newspaper is forced out of circulations since March 2006. The paper got closed after its General Manager Madi Ceesay and editor in chief, Musa Said khan and reporter Lamin Fatty was arrested and detained for a period ranging from one week to three months. The paper’s offices were made in accessible by the Gambia police force by sealing off the place. No members of staff were allowed to get near the offices since March of 2006.

As we mark this important day, Sud Fm was forced out of the Gambia by the state, reducing the number of radios by one.

The Citizen newspaper is also forced out of circulation since 2001, together with Citizen FM.The paper is housed by the FM, they were all under the same management.

As this important day is commemorated, many Gambian journalists have fled the Gambia and are living out side of the country against their will. In most cases they are living without their loved ones, these include wives, children, and  amily members. Today one can comfortably say there are more than fifty journalists of such all over the world.

As we commemorates May 3^rd , journalists numbering up to two are going to court charged with different counts but mainly PUBLISHING FALSE PUBLICATION, this one of the recent charges that send journalists to jail. Fatou Jaw Manneh and Mam Sait Ceesay are all drag to court by the state.

In the Gambia today self censorship is evident. Journalists or reporters are all very mindful of what to write or what will come of a certain article. As it is so easy for the state to drag one into court for what they call false publication, or the fear of a newspaper proprietor of having his paper shut down because of a certain publications.

The general climate around the media in the Gambia is one of fear. The fear is not coming from one end but from multiple ends. On one hand is from people who take the law into their hands and settle scores with journalists and nothing comes out of it.

We are all living witnesses to the beating of Njammeh Bah formerly of Point newspaper and now with the government television and radio services, she was severely beaten to the point where she was hospitalized. The  BBC reporter Ebrima Sillah was attacked and his house put ablaze whiles sleeping with his family. In that case also nothing came out of it. So is the burning of the Independent newspaper offices, the radio one FM offices, the burning of the printing press of Independent newspaper. In all these cases not a single one is ever mentioned in any court. For the state they are all closed cases. A file case is not likely open for not more than one.

Any journalists working under such circumstances have no choice but to censor itself otherwise force to leave the country on self exile. So while other journalists in other part of world may commemorate the day with joy we in the Gambia are marking the day with a serious wound and bleeding badly.