Pap
Saine, the co-publisher of The Point Newspaper has renewed his perpetual call
for government to arrest immediately, Major Sanna Manjang who fled the country
to Guinea Bissau. Captain Malick Jatta who was first arrested and released and
Sergin Aliue Jeng who is still in detention to face justice, after it’s
revealed that they were responsible for Deyda Hydara’s killing.
The
veteran journalist made these remarks in an exclusive interview with The Point
– as the paper observes 15 years anniversary of Deyda’s death and The Point’s
at 28 on 16 December 2019.
Mr.
Hydara was the managing editor and co-proprietor of The Point Newspaper prior
to his brutal killing.
“Deyda
Hydara was a great man who had contributed a lot for the development of press
freedom in The Gambia and his demise cannot go in vain; and since government
investigation has proved that the three people I cited earlier on are the
perpetrators, government should arrest and take them on trial to make sure that
such does not occur again,” he urged.
Mr.
Saine emphasised that Deyda Hydara had left a legacy here because he was a man
who defended press freedom, loved the country and had contributed to the
socio-economic development of the country by organising cultural activities,
while urging all the young journalists to emulate Mr. Hydara because he was
committed and dedicated to his job.
Talking
on The Point’s 28th anniversary, Mr. Saine lamented that managing the paper is
not an easy task to undertake, citing that they don’t have subvention and
secondly, government payments do come very late. He thus urged the government
do its level best to assist all the newspapers in 2020 in that regard.
“I
want to thank our old friends, Alhagie Gabi Sosseh who helped the establishment
of the paper in 1991, late Alagie Babou Sowe who signed the bond at the Attorney
Generals Chambers to make sure that the paper was in good track with government
and as well as Pap Demba Jobe, the first advertiser of the paper, for several
years who had been giving us annual contract,” he disclosed.
“We
have a wider readership, both Anglophone and the Francophone read the paper
because we have the French column which attracts many readers from the
Francophone countries residing in The Gambia,” he said.
Mr.
Saine assured that they will do more effort to making sure that the paper is
always on the right track to defend press freedom.
Mr. Saine further thanked their readers, advertisers, subscribers and staff of the newspaper for their commitment and dedication, while citing that The Point is the only newspaper in The Gambia which won international awards five times on press freedom.
Baba Hydara, the eldest of Deyda
Baba
Hydara, the eldest son of Deyda Hydara said his father was a great father and
made sure that his family comes first and his profession.
According
to him, his father had played a big role in making journalism a cool
profession.
“At
the time, not a lot of people were interested in being a journalist, but he
managed to mentor, motivate and help
youths into becoming good reporters,” he said of his father.
Baba
talked about his father’s involvement in community development, saying he
managed to sensitise the Banjulians when the Christian burial side was flooding
and also he did a lot of fund raising for various charity organisations and
institutions like Tanka Tanka.
He
said releasing the junglers was a big blow not only to his family but all the
others that lost their loved ones.
“It was very shocking after hearing the
Attorney General defending the release of the junglers,” Baba said.
“I
totally understand that they cannot be kept, remanded all their lives, and also
deals were made with them in exchange of a certain freedom. But I don’t expect
releasing them.”
“Hydara
family and other families that are concern with the liberation of the junglers,
we will never stop fighting to throw them behind bars where they belong.”
He
said the Victims’ Center made a lot of efforts to have communications with the
Attorney General’s office and that’s how they reached out to the AG when they
heard of the release. “But it was in vain.”
Baba
said the minister defended the release and wouldn’t rescind his decision but
they will continue with the dialogue to making sure these junglers remain
behind bars.
For
the Victims’ Center, he said, every perpetrator should be prosecuted without
exception and “we expect consultations before any major decision regarding
amnesty, release or any pardon from the AG.”
RFI
remembers Deyda
The
Radio France International (RFI) has paid tribute to Deyda Hydara, the managing
editor and co-proprietor of The Point Newspaper 15 years after he was slain.
RFI
will broadcast a documentary about his life and the circumstances surrounding
his assassination, according to missive sent to The Point. The documentary will
be broadcast in French Monday 16 December at 12h10 in the afternoon and 17h10
in the evening and will be also available on RFI website.
