 |
| GPU PRESIDENT |
Gambia’s president of the country’s main journalists’ body
on May 3, 2012 reduces democracy to pointlessness wherein free expression is
not extant.
“Democracy without freedom of expression is meaningless,”
stressed Gambia Press Union, GPU, President, Bai Emil Touray, who described “freedom
of expression as a fundamental pillar of any democracy.”
“Many Gambians are afraid to speak their minds for fear of
been punished and we are urging the authorities to create the enabling
environment for ordinary citizens to take part in the democratization process
of the country,” he said on World Press Freedom Day.
He cited Section 25 of Gambia law, the 1997 Constitution,
which guarantees the right to free expression.
This year’s celebration had three international themes, one
of which is: “New voices, media freedom helping to transform societies.”
The GPU president argues that press freedom is more or less
non existent in the Gambia, making it paramount to look into the draconian
media laws affecting the fundamentals rights of citizens.
He challenges the Government to set media laws in line with
parameters set by the United Nation Human Right Committee. “We call on Gambia
Government to repeal all draconian media laws, so as to enable the country fall
in line with international standard of good governance,” he said.
As journalists killed in the line of duty are remembered on
world press freedom day, Emil Touray used the opportunity to keep in mind the late
Sud FM journalist Omar Barrow who was shot dead by Gambia’s security forces in April
2000.
He also remembered the late Deyda Hydra, whose drive by
shooting murder in 2004 remain unsolved, like wise the unexplained
disappearance of Daily Observer journalist,
Chief Ebrima Manneh since 2006.
He also called on the Government of President Yahya Jammeh
to put in place a Freedom of Information Law (FOI), hence, the tiny West
African nation is only English-speaking country in the sub-region without an FOI
Act.
Source: The Voice
No comments:
Post a Comment
The views expressed in this section are the authors' own. It does not represent The North Bank Evening Standard (TNBES)'s editorial policy. Also, TNBES is not responsible for content on external links.