[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     CALLING FOR AN END TO IMPUNITY FOR PREDATORS OF PRESS FREEDOM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 2006

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 18-month 
anniversary of a tragic event that is symptomatic of the deterioration 
of press freedom in the Gambia and elsewhere.
  On December 16, 2004, one of the most respected journalists in West 
Africa, Deyda Hydara, was shot in the head and chest by unidentified 
gunmen. He died instantly, but the repercussions of his murder sent a 
shock wave through media and human rights advocates throughout the 
region. Mr. Hydara co-founded the Gambia's first independent newspaper 
and served as a foreign correspondent for a French newspaper and the 
media rights organization, Reporters Without Borders.
  Hydara's murder is just one incident in an alarming crackdown by 
Gambian authorities on the independent press. In July 2002 the 
government passed legislation requiring journalists and media 
organizations to register with a media commission for one-year 
renewable licenses. In September 2003, Hydara and three other 
independent journalists filed a lawsuit challenging the law in a case 
that is still pending before the Gambian Supreme Court.
  Two days before Hydara's murder, the Gambian National Assembly passed 
a new round of repressive media legislation that imposed mandatory 
prison terms of six months to three years for any published work judged 
to be ``seditious'' and increased the scope of what might be deemed 
libelous. Hydara and other independent journalists had publicly opposed 
the law and Hydara had published an editorial denouncing it the day 
before he was killed.
  In the 18 months that have elapsed since Deyda Hydara was killed, 
Gambian authorities have ignored calls for a thorough investigation 
into his murder. It is widely believed to have been politically-
motivated and related to a string of similar attacks. Meanwhile, at 
least 3 journalists are currently detained in Gambia in violation of 
regional and international human rights law. I will be sending a letter 
to Gambian President, Mr. Yahya Jammeh, urging him to appoint an 
independent board of inquiry to investigate the murder of Deyda Hydara 
and improve protections for journalists and the principle of press 
freedom in his country. I would like to submit this letter for the 
Record. 
  Resistance to impunity is essential to maintain civil peace and 
demonstrate a commitment to democratic values. In a time when repeated 
anonymous attacks against media professionals have created tense 
relations between the state and the media in many countries, Deyda 
Hydara's unrequited murder is deeply worrisome to those who are 
committed to democracy and justice in Africa. I hope that the Gambian 
Government will take this occasion to reverse its record on press 
freedom and set an example for the rest of the region.