The global press freedom body, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), has called on Gambian authorities to 'immediately release' detained journalist, Baboucarr Ceesay, PANA reports from here Saturday.
IFJ, in a statement, disclosed that Ceesay was picked up from his house on Friday (8 March) by personnel of Gambia's National Intelligence Agency (NIA) for undisclosed reason.
“We call on authorities in The Gambia to release our colleague immediately and unconditionally,' Gabriel Baglo, the IFJ Africa Director, remarked.
'The Gambia must stop these never ending intimidations and harassments of journalists which have portrayed a very negative image for the country throughout the whole world,” it warned.
Ceesay was said to have been initially arrested and released last September along with another colleague, Aboubacarr SaidyKhan.
That arrest and detention was linked to a letter written by the journalists to Gambia's Inspector General of police requesting for a permit to demonstrate over the killing of nine death-row inmates.
'The IFJ is deeply concerned that since September, Ceesay has been facing consistent harassment from the security agents and was nearly abducted recently by two men believed to be members of the security agents,' the statement said.
The press freedom body further decries that Ceesay has been targeted for a long time without any justification and therefore calls on the Gambian government ' to stop these unwarranted acts of intimidation'.
“Journalists in The Gambia must be allowed to exercise their right to freedom of expression and of the press as guaranteed by the country’s constitution and other international instruments that the country has signed and ratified, including the Africa Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights,' the IFJ Africa Director stressed.
Pana 09/03/2013