FREE THE GPU SIX NOW!!!

On Thursday August 6th, 2009, Justice Fangbele, a Nigerian mercenary judge in the service of criminal Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, convicted and sentenced six innocent Gambian journalists to jail. The journalists only crime was to criticize Jammeh for speaking very ill of their slain colleague Deyda Hydara in December 2004. The journalists are GPU Executive members Emil Touray, Sarata Jabbi Dibba, and Pa Modou Faal; Point newspaper publisher Pap Saine and editor Ebou Sawaneh; And Foroyaa newspaper editor Sam Sarr. They were all convicted on all six counts of sedition and defamation brought against them and have been sent to the notorious Mile Two State Central Prisons.

The sentences, which run concurrently, read:

Count 1 - 2 year prison term.
Count 2 - A fine of Dalasis 250,000 (US$10,000) or a two-year prison term
Count 3 - A fine of Dalasis 250,000 (US$10,000) or a two-year prison term
Count 4 - 2 year prison term
Count 5 - 2 year prison term
Count 6 - 2 year prison term.

The GPU-USA joins GPU-Gambia, all decent Gambians and the international community in vehemently condemning the unjust convictions inflicted upon six innocent Gambian journalists for merely criticizing the president. We echo the sentiment that this criminal conviction of the journalists is yet another blatant manifestation of the criminal nature of Gambian president Yahya Jammeh and his criminal coterie of mercenary judges. That such heavy sentences are unjustly imposed on six innocent Gambian citizens is a measure of how low Jammeh will stoop to terrorize the Gambian people and ensure that his politics of insult and impunity go unquestioned and unchallenged.

We call on the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the European Union, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and all international human rights and media rights organizations to compel the criminal regime of Yahya Jammeh to immediately release these innocent persons. We also call upon Gambian civil society organizations, especially the Bar Association and opposition parties to do everything in their power to ensure that this criminal act is immediately rescinded. To the Gambia Armed forces, we say that your duty to protect the security and integrity of the Gambian nation demands that immediate action be taken to stop the further criminalization of the Gambian state by Yahya Jammeh and his criminal thugs parading as judges from Nigeria.

THE GPU-USA EXECUTIVE