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Press freedom warriors in the lion's den in Banjul
Wednesday, 10 November 2010 12:28
By Kemo ChamGambia is currently host to some of Africa’s foremost human rights advocates as the Ordinary Session of the African Commission gets under way.
Among well over hundred delegates presently in Banjul are some of the leading voices of press freedom on the continent. Gambia is considered one of the world’s most unfriendly environments for journalists.
The 48th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights commences today, Wednesday, 10 November, and will run through the 24. As it is customary, the two weeks’ session was preceded by the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the Ordinary session, hosted by the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS).
Recently, the moody human rights situation in Gambia has galvanized strong international condemnation of President Yahya Jammeh’s style of leadership. The relationship between his government and human rights defenders, whom he considers “trouble makers”, has hardly been any worst.
Among the main objectives of the three days pre-Commission meeting NGO Forum is to provide a discussion platform for organizations working on democracy and human rights issues in the continent, the outcome of which normally shapes the agenda of the Ordinary Session of the Commission. As part of series of discussions was a panel on freedom of expression. And in Banjul to champion this course are some press freedom advocates, including the presidents of the West Africa Journalists Association and the Federation of African Journalists. Also in Banjul are representatives of the US based Freedom House, which champions expansion of freedom around the world and London based rights organization with focus on free speech, Article 19.
Already there have been calls on the Gambians government to assume its responsibility in protecting its journalists.
Repressive media laws, coupled with some cases of extrajudicial killings, disappearance and unlawful arrests and detention have forced many
Gambian journalists to flee the country in recent years. This has also resulted into extreme self censorship for the independent media in the country.Leo Igwe, a representative of the UK-based International Humanist Ethical Union in West Africa, told participants at the opening ceremony of the NGO Forum that the Gambian government must see journalists as partners in development rather than enemies. He called on the government to rise up to its duty and guarantees the safety and security of journalists.
Among the main themes of the NGO Forum, which would influence the agenda of the Commission meeting, were the Human Rights and Democracy Situation in Africa, African Women’s Decade, Protocol on Women’s Rights in Africa, African Charter on Elections, Democracy and Governance.
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