The Gambia High Court in Banjul on Thursday convicted six Gambian journalists of six counts of sedition and defamation and sentenced them to two years imprisonment without an option of a fine for three counts, and fined them each 250,00 Gambian Dalasis (about $10,000) for each count, failure to pay they would serve another two years in prison.
The six; Ms Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, Bai Emil Touray and Pa Modou Faal of the Gambia Press Union executive, Pap Saine and Ebrima Sawaneh of The Point newspaper and Sam Sarr of Foroyaa newspaper, were arrested on June 15 after the publication of a press release issued by the Gambia Press Union reacting to comments made by President Yahya Jammeh on the killing of veteran Gambian journalists Deyda Hydara in 2004.
They were eventually charged before a magistrate’s court, and the matter was later transferred to the High Court, first under Judge Joseph Wowo and later under Judge Emmauel Fagbenle.
Raecting to the judgement, the President of the Gambia Press Union, Ndey Tapha Sosseh condemned it and said the GPU was going to appeal against it at the Gambia Court of Appeal.
Sosseh added that the GPU was also going to "simultaneously seek redress through the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice."