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Release newspaper reporter Ebrima B. Manneh and protect freedom of expression in The Gambia

Ebrima B. Manneh was arrested in July 2006 at the offices of the newspaper Daily Observer by plainclothes officers, thought to have been from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). He has been held in incommunicado detention without charge or trial for over two years. Please call on Gambian authorities to release Ebrima Manneh, a prisoner of conscience.

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A.J.J. Yahya Jammeh - President

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Abdul R. Cole (First Email Address) - Ambassador

Abdul R. Cole (Second Email Address) - Ambassador

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Dear (recipient name),

I am deeply concerned about the well-being of journalist Ebrima B. Manneh, formerly of the Daily Observer, who has not been seen or heard from since his arrest in July 2006, according to sources in the media and human rights organizations in The Gambia. Amnesty International considers Ebrima Manneh to be a prisoner of conscience, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.  
 
Manneh was arrested by plainclothes security agents at the paper's offices in the capital Banjul on July 7, 2006, a week after the African Union summit of heads of state. He was arrested after he had allegedly made contact with a foreign journalist before the summit and was accused of giving information to this journalist deemed damaging for the country's image.  His whereabouts, the reason for his detention, his legal status, and his health status have not been disclosed. Authorities deny detaining Manneh, although reports suggest that he is being held at Fatoto Police Station in Eastern Gambia. Manneh was seen being escorted by members of the Gambian Police Force to receive treatment for high blood pressure at the end of July 2007.

On June 5, 2008, the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)--of which Gambia is a member state--declared the arrest and detention of Ebrima Manneh illegal and ordered the Gambian authorities to release him immediately, restore his human rights, including his right to freedom of movement, and pay him $100,000 in damages.

The case of Ebrima Manneh highlights a wider problem evident throughout The Gambia. Throughout 2006, research by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Media Foundation for West Africa showed that authorities demonstrated an alarming pattern of holding journalists incommunicado, while publicly denying the detentions. A number of journalists, including Daily Observer editor Malick Mboob, were imprisoned in NIA detention facilities during 2006 despite official denials.

I urge you to ensure that Gambian officials comply with the ruling of the Community Court of Justice and immediately and unconditionally release Ebrima Manneh.

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