A group of Gambian citizens on December 16, 2007 commemorated the third anniversary of the gruesome murder of Deyda Hydara, managing editor and co-owner of The Point, the only remaining independent newspaper in the country.
The group, comprising mainly family members, and local and international colleagues of the late Hydara converged at his residence located in Bakau, about 10 kilometres South-West of Banjul, capital of The Gambia, recited the Holy Qur’an and sought divine intervention for the arrests and subsequent prosecution of the suspects.
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) sources reported that the group visited the tomb of the slain veteran journalist as well as the spot where he was attacked.
Hydara, 58, was gunned down on the night of December 16, 2004, while driving home from the offices of his newspaper in the capital, Banjul. Two of his employees were injured in the shooting.
The government has consistently refused to conduct an independent investigation into his murder and rather accused him of being “a serial womaniser”.
The MFWA urges Gambians to sustain the pressure on the government to constitute an independent body to investigate the matter.
Prof. Kwame Karikar
iExecutive Director
MFWA
Tel: 233 21 242470
Fax: 233 21 221084
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.mediafound.org