Gambia: Letter to President Yahya Jammeh
Your Excellency, we are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 100 countries, to express our serious concern at the passing of a media law that threatens freedom of the press. According to reports, on 2 May the National Assembly approved a draft law that provides for the creation of a commission to control the media. Under the law, the commission, whose chairman will be appointed by Your Excellency, will have the powers of a court and will be charged with licensing journalists and media organs and with adjudicating in complaints brought against journalists and the private media.
His Excellency President Yahya Jammeh
Banjul, Gambia
Email: [email protected]
6 May 2002
Your Excellency,
We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the
World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 100 countries,
to express our serious concern at the passing of a media law that threatens
freedom of the press.
According to reports, on 2 May the National Assembly approved a draft law
that provides for the creation of a commission to control the media. Under
the law, the commission, whose chairman will be appointed by Your
Excellency, will have the powers of a court and will be charged with
licensing journalists and media organs and with adjudicating in complaints
brought against journalists and the private media.
The commission, which will comprise lawyers, teachers, journalists, members
of Christian and Islamic councils, a women's organisation and
representatives of radio and television, will also be empowered to close
down publications.
We are concerned that the media law may conflict with the fundamental right
of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the Gambian constitution
and by numerous international conventions, including the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 of the Declaration states: "Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers."
We respectfully call on you to do everything in your power to ensure that
the media law is not enforced in its current form and that your country
fully respects international standards of freedom of expression.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Roger Parkinson
President
World Association of Newspapers
Gloria Brown Anderson
President
World Editors Forum