Demanding the Release of Ms. Fatou Jaw Manneh

To:  International Committee

We the undersigned as concerned citizens, friends and supporters of The Gambia wish to bring your attention to a frightening trend that has characterised the political and civil landscape of our country and to request your help in ensuring that the civil liberties of Gambians are not violated.

BACKGROUND

Attacks on journalists in the Gambia have been frequent in recent years, including unsolved arson attacks on media houses, arrests, extended secret detentions, disappearances and murders, prompting many to go into exile. In 2006, there was the dissappearance of Daily Observer journalist Chief Ebrimah Manneh, as well as the incommunicado detention and ongoing trial on charges of publishing "false news" of The Independent reporter Lamin Fatty. 2004 saw the murder of prominent Gambian Journalist Deyda Hydara who was the Co-founder and editor of the Point Newspaper as well as a former Associated Press and Agence France Press correspondent.

A case in hand is the arrest and trial of US-based Gambian freelance journalist Ms. Fatou Jaw Manneh following her arrest and week-long detention on her arrival in the Gambia in March 2007 before being charged with sedition by the state. Her trial began at the Kanifing Magistrate’s court presided over by Magistrate Buba Jawo who ruled that because the alleged offense against the person of the President Yahya Jammeh took place on the world wide web, the magistrate does not have requisite jurisdiction to hear the case. On July 3 2007, magistrate Jawo ruled that Fatou Jaw Manneh's sedition trial cannot be heard at his court and therefore transferred the case to the Banjul magistrate’s court. The Banjul magistrate’s court also referred the case to Brikama in the Western Region. The Brikama court transferred the case back to Banjul for lack of jurisdiction. The Banjul Magistrate’s Court returned the case to the Kanifing Magistrate’s court.

Ms. Manneh, a political online commentator, a former reporter with the Gambian private newspaper Daily Observer and a pro-democracy activist, was arrested by officers of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) at the international airport in the Gambian capital, Banjul, on 28 March 2007 upon her arrival from the USA. She was detained for a week without being charged, which is in contravention of the Gambian Constitution, which states that individuals be brought before a court within 72 hours of being detained. During her detention, Ms. Manneh was denied access to a lawyer and to her family for seven (7) days. She was arrested on March 28th 2007 and released on bail bond at D25,000.00 (US$900.00) with a Gambian surity.


On 4 April 2007, Ms. Manneh finally appeared before a court in Kanifing, 12 km from the capital,Banjul. She was charged on three counts of sedition under Gambia's criminal code: 'intention to commit sedition', 'publication of seditious words' and 'publication of false news intended to cause public fear and alarm to the Gambian public'. Each count carries a maximum prison term of two years or a fine or both. Ms. Manneh pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. The NIA has since then confiscated Ms. Manneh's travel documents.

Ms. Manneh's defense lawyer, Lamin Jobarteh argued that the court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case as the alleged offences took place when Ms. Manneh was outside the Gambia, but was overruled on 11 April 2007.

The articles Manneh is being prosecuted for include an interview she gave which was first published in the now banned bi-weekly newspaper The Independent in June 2004, and later published on several websites, including AllGambian.net in October 2005 (see http://www.allgambian.net/news-stories_263.html). In 2003 Manneh wrote an article for The Independent focusing on Gambia's endemic poverty and corruption ('Jammeh under the Microscope') which resulted in the arrest and detention of the paper's editor, Abdoulie Sey. The Independent was shut down by the Gambia government in March 2006 and has not been allowed to resume publication.

PETITION
We therefore humbly request that you and your organization put pressure on the Government of The Gambia to ensure that Ms. Fatou Jaw Manneh:

•Is released without charge or;
•Is accorded a fair, speedy and impartial trial;
•Is not subjected to torture and other degrading and inhumane treatment;
•Travel and personal documents are return in order that she can return to the United states and continue her education, work and be with her family.


To the President of the Gambia
President H. E. Yahya A. J. Jammeh
Office of the President
Private Mail Bag
State House,
Banjul, Republic of the Gambia
Fax: 220 4227 034
e-mail: info@statehouse.gm


CC:
Attorney General and Secretary of State for Justice , The Gambia, West Africa
H.E. Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare,Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union
Amnesty International
The African Commission for Human & People’s Rights
British High Commissioner, Banjul, The Gambia
Committee to Protect Journalist
Commonwealth Secretariat,
General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
ECOWAS Executive Secretariat
International Federation of Journalists
Media Foundation of West Africa
UN Secretary General
Permanent Mission of the Republic of The Gambia to the United Nations
Reporters without Borders
U.S. Department of State
United States Embassy, Banjul, the Gambia
Congresswoman Betty McCollum
Embassies of The Gambia
Washington Post

Gambian Media outlets:
Gambia-L
Gambia Post
Bantaba Cyber Space
Gainako
All Gambian
Freedom
The Echo
The Journal
Senegambia
The Point
Foroyaa
Observer

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Demanding the Release of Ms. Fatou Jaw Manneh Petition to International Committee was created by and written by Ndey Jobarteh, Jabou Joh &Yero Jallow (freefatoujaw@gmail.com ).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.