Murder

Dyda Hydara
Former managing editor and proprietor  of the Point newspaper also former treasurer of WAJA was shot dead at a close range in the vicinity of the police garage of the Police Intervention Unite (paramilitary force) at Kanifing ,12 Kilometers from the capital ,Banjul while he was driving two of his staff home.

The National Intelligence Agency (the intelligence service ) took over the investigation  from the police and soon after issued an interim report ,instead of coming up with a credible lead as to who Killed Deyda the report tended  to cast suspicions on Deyda as being responsible for his death .After  this interim report no progress has ever been reported  on the investigation of the crime by the  security forces .The call by the Gambia Press Union for the President to set up a commission of inquiry or to invite Foreign independent investigators since they have not made any progress on the investigation has gone unheeded.

Arson Attacks

18th August 2001, Radio 1 Fm
Was subjected to arson attack in the course of which the proprietor, Mr. George Christenson, sustained injuries and was admitted at a clinic .The attack took place between 2 am and 3 am. According to the proprietor, a group of people upon arrival cleared all the people in the vicinity of the radio. They then proceeded to spray both the proprietor and watchman with a chemical, the proprietor sustained injuries and burns on several parts of his body .after spraying them with a chemical, they proceeded to empty a twenty liter container of gas oil on the main doors and set them ablaze.

On 10th August 2001.
There was a second attack on the house of Alieu Bah, a journalist at radio 1FM, a privately owned radio station, which organized programmes that facilitated debates between politicians and other prominent personalities of divergent views and dissenting opinions. At about 3 am the front door of his house was bolted from the outside. They poured gas oil on it and set it ablaze while he was sleeping with his family.

The Independent’s offices were set on fire on the evening of 17 October 2003 at about 3am.Acting editor, Seedy Bojang, told reporters that three men came, sprayed the caretaker with a chemical and hit him with iron bar, that while he was being taken to hospital, four men climbed over the newspaper’s institution wall and set it on fire through the windows. They fled on the arrival of several employees of Uncle Sam security agency who were contracted to protect some premises in the vicinity.

April 2000
The printing facilities of The Independent newspaper at Kanifing South were attacked. The staff present at the time said that six men putting on camouflage uniform and mask assaulted the staff around 2am.According to the employees; they got into the printing room, poured petrol on the machine and set it ablaze. The machine was completely burnt and became dysfunctional.

Sunday, 15th August 2004
 There was yet another mysterious attack on the home of Gambian born BBC reporter, Mr.Ebrima Sillah at about 3am.According to Sillah, the assailant removed the wire gauge on one of the windows of the sitting room, removed the louver glasses, pour fuel into the sitting room and set it ablaze at a time when he was asleep in his bedroom. The heat and smoke woke him up and he escaped through the window of his bedroom. Prior to this attack Sillah had received an email purported to be from the “green boys’ threatening him.

Arrests and Detention
1. Mr. Abdoulie Sey, editor-in-chief of The Independent newspaper, a privately owned bi-weekly. According to the staff of the Independent, he was arrested by three men from the NIA (the intelligence unit) at about 6pm on 19 September 2003 who took him away with a black ford pajero with no registration number displayed on the number plate. He was released four days later.
2. Mr Musa Saidykhan, editor-in-chief of The Independent was arrested and detained for a brief period soon after his return from the Editors” Forum in South Africa. Interrogation centered on suspicion that he gave adverse information to very senior South African officials about the state of the press and human rights in the Gambia.

Monday 27th March 2006
The Editor –in Chief of Independent newspaper ,Musa Saidiykhan was arrested by the NIA    from his home a few day after two articles critical of the President were published a few days after an alleged attempted coup of 21 March 2006.

Tuesday 28th March 2006  
The General manger of the Independent, Madi M.K. Ceesay was arrested by the NIA when reported for work on that day .Both Madi M.K. Ceesay and Musa Saidykhan were released on after three weeks without being charged.

10th April 2006
Mr. Lamin M. Fatty, a reporter of The independent was arrested from his home by the NIA and taken to the NIA Headquarters in Banjul where he was held up to the 63 days of his detention, upon released he faced a trial on false publication .the trial before a magistrate has been on since 12 June 2006. The penalties for the offence is between a fine of D50, 000 ($1800) and D250, 000($9000) or imprisonment for a minimum period of one year.

25th April 2006
Mr. Juldeh Sowe, a receptionist at the independent was arrested when he reported for work on that day .he was released on that day.

July 2006
According to employees at daily observer, chief ebrima Manneh .a news editor of the paper was arrested on that day when he reported for work by plain cloths security officers believed to be NIA officials .Foroyaa newspaper reported that he was seen at fatoto Police Station in the far eastern end .But the police and the NIA have denied that he is in their custody .At the moment, his whereabouts is not known.

On 24th May 2006
The following journalists were arrested after the Freedom Newspaper saga.
• Mr. Musa Sheiff a report with the News and Report, a privately owned weekly magazine.
•  Mr. Pa Modou Faal of Gambia Radio and Television Services, the state owned broadcasting house.
• Mr. Lamin Cham, a Gambian born BBC report.
• Mr. Sam Obi, who reports for Radio France international.
• Mr. Malick Mboob, the then communications officer at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH)

After the hacking of the address book of Freedom Newspaper, a list of alleged subscribers and informants were published in Daily Observer.
This was followed by a wave of arrest which included these five journalists. But no official reason was given for their arrest. Malick Mboob was released on 9 October 2006. The others were released on different dates.

September 2006, Dodou Sanneh, a GRTS reporter who was covering the campaign of the UDP led opposition coalition was recalled from his assignment and arrested when he reported for work. He was released on Monday 27 September 2006 and sacked on the same day without reasons being given. He was reinstated but later sacked again.

28th March 2007 Fatou, Jaw Manneh, a former reporter of Daily Observer who now resides in the USA was arrested by the NIA upon arrival at Banjul International Airport. She had come from the USA to visit her family. She is charged with sedition. The following is said to be the seditious matter:
“Betrayal, Jammeh is tearing our beloved country into shreds, he debunked our hopes and became a thorn into every issue that is related to progress in the Gambia, be it social, political and economic. Worst of all, he is a bundle of terror. There is need to speak out. If you look around The Gambia, particularly at the condition people live in, you will see what I mean that Gambians are desperately in need of an alternative to this egoistic frosted Imam of APRC. Jammeh is full of energy but very negative energy and he totally lacks direction. What he needs is to come clear to the Gambian people and say that he has failed us all miserably, that he will be doing everything to revitalize his promises to the Gambian people, excuse his ten years in office, rather than forcing us to recognize the developments that do not exist.

Assaults

16th December 2005
Ramatoulie Charreh who was then with the Daily Observer was ruffled by police when participants at the international conference attempted to visit the site where late Deyda Hydara was gunned down.
In 2006, Njameh Bah a reporter of The Point was attacked and severely beaten by her attackers.

12th December 2006
Baron Eloagu of the Daily Express a privately newspaper was attacked and beaten. This followed the severe beating up of Abdougafar Olademinji, also of the Daily Express.