Africa-Press – Gambia. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has joined its affiliate, the Gambia Press Union (GPU), in strongly rejecting the government’s proposal, which is nothing more than an attempt to silence journalists, restrict the media’s ability to hold power to account and stifle freedom of expression,” IFJ said in a statement on Wednesday.
The attempt has drawn public outcries from both the media industry and its stakeholders likened the two proposals to the 2002 Media Commission Act, which gave former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, under his dictatorial administration, to intimidate and harassed journalists and deny them the opportunity to hold government to account.
Anthony Bellanger, the Secretary General of IFJ stated: “In a democratic country, no government has the right to decide who should or shouldn’t practice journalism. Rather, governments must continuously endeavour to create a conducive environment for the media to flourish by ensuring that all media laws are in line with internationally recognised standards, thereby guaranteeing media freedom, freedom of expression, and the safety of journalists”.
The Ministry of Information, and Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) have recently organised a validation workshop where the Information Minister, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, was caught on hot mic criticising the media for boycotting the event, expressing a desire for journalists not attending the event, which followed his remarks that government will boycott any media outlets that boycotts government.
The Gambia Press Union has vowed to challenge the two proposals at both domestic and regional courts, should they come into force.
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