Gambia: Detained newspaper publisher charged
Abdul Hamid Adiamoh, managing editor of Today, a privately-owned newspaper who has been in detention since his arrest on June 10, 2009 was on June 12 charged with “ publishing and broadcasting false information”, contrary to Section 181 (A) of the Criminal Code of the Gambia. Speaking with the pro-government Banjul-based Daily Observer newspaper, ASP Sulayman Secka, Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Police Force could not tell whether the journalist was still in police detention or not.
Abdul Hamid Adiamoh, managing editor of Today, a privately-owned newspaper who has been in detention since his arrest on June 10, 2009 was on June 12 charged with “ publishing and broadcasting false information”, contrary to Section 181 (A) of the Criminal Code of the Gambia.
Speaking with the pro-government Banjul-based Daily Observer newspaper, ASP Sulayman Secka, Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Police Force could not tell whether the journalist was still in police detention or not.
Secka, however, revealed that Adiamoh was arraigned before both the Banjul and Kanifing magistrate courts on June 11 but his case was not called because the courts were busy with other cases.
Adiamoh is being detained at the Major Crime Unit of the Gambian police following what the Daily Observer described as a “controversial publication” on the June 8 edition of the newspaper.
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s sources reported that the story was in connection with an alleged dismissal of two ministers of state by President Yahya Jammeh.
MFWA sources said the Today newspaper had since retracted the story and offered apologies to President Jammeh and the two affected ministers. The newspaper also stopped circulating about 90 percent of that particular edition.
Prof. Kwame Karikari
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233 21 24 24 70
Fax : 233 21 221084
Website : www.mediafound.org
Email: [email][email protected]