Gambian journalists denied entry at the Supreme Court by security agents

Sainey Marenah

Binta Bah

 Journalists working for the Standard and Daily News, two newspapers closed down in September were on Monday denied entry at the Supreme Court in Banjul to cover the case involving former chief of defence staff, Lang Tombong Tamba and six others who are appealing the death sentence verdict handed to them by the High Court. 

Binta Bah and Sainey Marenah from the Daily News and Standard respectively were prevented from attending the court proceeding by plain clothes security officers who claimed the order to stop them had emanated from the Office of the President.

The duo said “we were told by a plain clothes officer (a member of national intelligence agency) that since our media houses are closed – no more publishing - we should not cover the case anymore.”

However, Binta was let in after telling the officer that she was a blogger as well so will use her blog to publish the story.

“I was later let in but after about 15 minutes I was told by the state security agent that the director of press at the State House, Modou Saidy, said he was not aware of my blog because my blog is not registered so I should not cover the case as my paper is no longer publishing” Ms Bah explained.

“The officer said they operate on directives and he is given a directive that we are not allow to cover the case anymore. ‘Sorry but you have to go out, he officer told me’,” Binta added.

W/A evaluates media roles in economic and political development

Media practitioners, civil society representatives and some academics from some Commonwealth countries in Africa recently completed a forum in The Gambia in which the roles and responsibilities of the media in economic and political development were discussed.

Organised and financed by the Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with The Gambia Government, the forum stimulated debate on emerging economic development and democracy issues as well as journalism professionalism in the region.  

The programme was divided into two parts. The first part, held on 1 and 2 August at the Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Brufut, was a regional forum where delegates identified media training and capacity building priority needs, especially in communication and media for development.

This was followed by a three-day capacity building workshop specifically designed for Gambian journalists, and held at the University of The Gambia Law Faculty at MDI Road in Kanifing.  

“The forum avails participants the opportunity to learn from experts the ethics, responsibilities and techniques of professional journalism and the need to position the media as a tool for economic development, enhancing democracy through impartial, balanced and mature reporting,” said Alhaji Cham, Gambia’s Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure during the opening ceremony of the forum at the Sheraton Hotel on Monday.

Minister Cham acknowledged that the media is both an influential and inevitable element in the socio-economic and political development of any nation.