The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, Nigeria has issued a hearing notice for a suit filed against the Republic of The Gambia by the Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA) on behalf of a “disappeared” Gambian Journalist, Chief Ebrima Manneh, reporter of the “Daily Observer” newspaper.
This follows an application filed on behalf of the journalist by MFWA through its journalists ‘Legal defence Programme'. The MFWA application seeks an order from the sub-regional court to compel the government to President Yahya Jammeh to immediately release Chief Manneh and he must be adequately compensated.
The Court has fixed July 10th, 2007 for the hearing to coincide with the eve of the first anniversary of Manneh's arrest and incarceration. Colleagues of Manneh witnessed his arrest by two-plain-clothes personnel of the National Intelligent Agency (NIA), at the “Daily Observer” premises on July 11th, 2006. But the government and police claimed they do not know his whereabouts.
The writ, filed by popular Nigerian human rights lawyer Femi Falana, a member of the MFWA Legal Defence Network, said that the arrest of Manneh without warrant and his continuous detention of incommunicado is unlawful and a violation to his rights as guaranteed under Articles 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights. The Gambian government has blatantly refused several requests from human rights groups to either release or charge Manneh if he has committed any offence.
In a reaction to the continuous demands for the released of Manneh, after eight months of the journalist disappearance, the Gambia Police Force on 21st February 2007 officially denied ever arresting him and urged that the general public to furnish it with any relevant information about him.
Media practitioners have been subjected to unlawful arrests, detentions, murder, and the closure of Media houses resulting in several journalists escaping into exile. Those who chose to stay are practicing self-censorship to ensure their safety.
MFWA and its Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO) have launched a campaign to end the impunity and attacks on free expression in the Gambia and have published a 63-page dossier of press freedom abuses since President Jammeh came to power in 1994.
Meanwhile the the Gambia Press Union (GPU) has expressed shock over the long detention of their colleague. Madi Ceesay, President of the GPU said that Manneh is the longest detained journalist in The Gambia, so far. "Manneh is the breadwinner of his family and his sister's school fees are paid by him.
He said that for the past twelve months they have been making several attempts to find Manneh's whereabouts. He also said that the GPU together with the International Federation of Journalist (IFJ) the Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ), West African Journalists Association (WAJA) and other international bodies are collectively working on the matter.
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