Ebrima Manneh
Encyclopedia
Ebrima Manneh is a Gambian
journalist believed by human rights organizations to have been arrested in July 2006 and secretly held in custody since then.
A Daily Observer
reporter, Manneh was reportedly arrested by state security after attempting to republish a BBC
report criticizing President Yahya Jammeh
shortly before an African Union
meeting in Banjul
; his arrest was witnessed by coworkers. Though ordered to release Manneh by an Economic Community Of West African States
court, the Gambian government has denied that Manneh is imprisoned. According to AFP
, an unnamed police source confirmed Manneh's arrest in April 2009, but added he believed Manneh "is no longer alive".
In June 2009, Manneh received the Special Award for journalism under threat from Amnesty International
. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience
and named him a 2011 "priority case". The Committee to Protect Journalists
has also called for his release and demanded that authorities account for his disappearance. The Committee described his arrest as part of "a climate of fear created by the unsolved murder of prominent Gambian editor Deyda Hydara
, a series of unsolved arsons of media houses, and a pattern of government intimidation and prosecution of journalists."
Gambian
Gambian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of The Gambia* A person from The Gambia, or of Gambian descent. For information about the Gambian people, see Demographics of the Gambia and Culture of the Gambia. For specific persons, see List of Gambians.* Note that there is no...
journalist believed by human rights organizations to have been arrested in July 2006 and secretly held in custody since then.
A Daily Observer
The Daily Observer
The Daily Observer is a newspaper published in Bakau in Banjul, The Gambia.The paper, Gambia's first daily newspaper, was founded by Kenneth Best in 1990. Best had previously managed another paper called the Daily Observer in Liberia, until the First Liberian Civil War caused him to relocate with...
reporter, Manneh was reportedly arrested by state security after attempting to republish a BBC
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
report criticizing President Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Jammeh
Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is the President of The Gambia...
shortly before an African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
meeting in Banjul
Banjul
-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...
; his arrest was witnessed by coworkers. Though ordered to release Manneh by an Economic Community Of West African States
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
court, the Gambian government has denied that Manneh is imprisoned. According to AFP
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
, an unnamed police source confirmed Manneh's arrest in April 2009, but added he believed Manneh "is no longer alive".
In June 2009, Manneh received the Special Award for journalism under threat from Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
and named him a 2011 "priority case". The Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
has also called for his release and demanded that authorities account for his disappearance. The Committee described his arrest as part of "a climate of fear created by the unsolved murder of prominent Gambian editor Deyda Hydara
Deyda Hydara
Deyda Hydara was a co-founder and primary editor of The Point, a major independent Gambian newspaper. He was also a correspondent for both AFP News Agency and Reporters Without Borders for more than 30 years...
, a series of unsolved arsons of media houses, and a pattern of government intimidation and prosecution of journalists."