CPJ condemns arrest of Gambian journalists

After receiving reports today of the arrest of seven senior Gambian journalists and press union leaders who criticized President Yahya Jammeh for remarks that bluntly refuted government involvement in the unsolved 2004 murder of an editor, we issued the following statement…

“The failure of the Gambian authorities to bring those responsible for the killing of Deyda Hydara to justice has rightly angered local journalists,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “Instead of answering journalists’ legitimate questions about this case, the authorities are locking them up. They should be released immediately.”