Gambia: Journalist accused of spreading false news flees country

A journalist who has been accused of spreading false news in Gambia has fled the country.

Fatou Camara - a journalist employed by Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) - was formally accused of spreading false news on the internet and defaming the President of the Republic during a court hearing on 11 October 2013.

ARTICLE 19 calls for all charges against Camara to be dropped immediately.

ARTICLE 19 urges the Gambian government to abolish laws criminalising the publication of false news and reminds the authorities that public officials must tolerate a higher degree scrutiny than ordinary citizens.

"Laws that criminalise the publication of false news violate the right to freedom of expression. These laws are frequently used to punish people who express opinions that those who hold power do not like or that expose them to criticism. Fatou Camara is the latest victim of a campaign by the authorities in Gambia to censor and silence voices" said Fatou Jange, Director of ARTICLE 19 Western Africa.

"We are deeply concerned about the absence of the rule of law in Gambia. The authorities have failed to provide Fatou Camara with clear information about the exact nature of the charges against her, making it impossible for her to even begin defending herself" added Jange.

The television reporter and former Director of Press and Public Relations of Gambian State House (the office of the President) - was granted bail against surety of 5 million Dalasi (USD 153,360) after spending 3 weeks in detention.

A further hearing had been scheduled for October 28 2013.

Over the weekend, reports emerged that Camara was smuggled out of the country along with the guarantors of her bail deposit.

"We are deeply concerned about the absence of the rule of law in Gambia. The authorities have failed to provide Fatou Camara with clear information about the exact nature of the charges against her, making it impossible for her to even begin defending herself" add Jange.

Context:

ARTICLE 19 calls for the abolition legislation criminalising the publication of false news in Gambia and around the world. Such laws are an unjustifiable restriction to freedom of expression. While truthful and balanced reporting should always be an important aspiration, there must a recognition that at times it may be difficult to conclusively verify every fact. Journalists must not be prevented from providing information to the public when they are fairly confident that the information is correct. False news laws can be abused in order to target journalists who express opinions that the authorities wish to silence. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression clearly stated in 2000, that the imprisonment of people under false news provisions is unacceptable.

ARTICLE 19 urges public officials in Gambia to abandon legal action against people who criticise public officials. A healthy democratic society requires vigorous debate about public affairs. In order to facilitate such debates, public bodies and officials should tolerate a larger degree of criticism than ordinary citizens. In general, the more senior the public servant, the more criticism he or she should be expected to tolerate. Laws that criminalise criticism of the state or public officials pose a threat to open public debate and restrict the right the freedom of expression.

- See more at: http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/37304/en/gambia:-journalist-accused-of-spreading-false-news-flees-country#sthash.21aQZASH.dpuf