Press freedom continues to elude journalists in Gambia.
Currently under fire is Mr Abdoulie John, a stringer with the US-based
Associated Press (AP) news agency. More than one month today, John who doubles
as an editor of a Gambian online news agency, JollofNews, is
still battling for his freedom.
From Dec.9, 2012 to date, the journalist had
been arrested and detained on two separate occasions by the country's
intelligence agency, NIA. Interestingly, all this while, he is yet to know his
crime, if any.
“I did nothing wrong," he says with a unique
emphasis. "It is sad to know that such things are happening in a country
that is supposed to operate democratically. This is part of harassment and
intimidation by the state to deny independent journalists to operate
freely."