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Gambia News : I do not have Chief Ebrima Manneh, says President Jammeh
Gambia President Yayah Jammeh on Wednesday said his government did not
have Gambian missing journalist, Chief Ebrima Manneh, in its custody,
declaring "if we had him, we would have released him because the
journalist did not kill anyone."
In a broadcast on the Gambia Radio and Television Service during
which examined his his achievements in the past 15 years, President
Jammeh denied being responsible for Chief Ebrima’s disappearance.
Jammeh
stated that there were people who committed murder and other crimes in
the country and yet were not molested and wondered why an innocent
journalist like Chief Ebrima Manneh would be detained.
“I do not have him and I do not know his whereabout," an angry Jammeh stated.
Commenting
on the ongoing trial of the seven journalists, Jammeh said that the
accused persons would face the consequences of the laws if found
guilty, saying that he was monitoring the trial with interest.
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- As the only Gambian enjoying full press freedom rights in the country, Jammeh has overstepped his bounds by passing judgment on journalists. He has also proven the partiality of our already weakened judicial system in which judges defend the president's interests. We expect Jammeh to address his government's appalling human rights and democratic credentials, investigate Hydara's murder, the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh, and fix the alarming poverty rate instead of issuing threats and calling local journalists "rat pieces."
One thing is certain about the Gambian president--his words and deeds hardly correlate. This is the same president who said two years ago that "even if Yahya Jammeh intimidates you for defending somebody, go to the press." By saying this, he seemed to be recognizing the press as a mirror and potential force for social change. Why then is his government punishing six journalists for merely defending Hydara, whose death has not been investigated by Gambian authorities?
(Posted on August 1, 2009, 1:39 AM freedom of speech)
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