Deyda Hydara

Deyda Hydara (June 9, 1946 – December 16, 2004) was co-founder and primary editor of The Point, a major independent Gambian newspaper. He worked as a radio presenter for Radio Syd during his early years as a freelance journalist before becoming a correspondent for AFP News Agency and Reporters Without Borders.

He was known for unwavering commitment to press freedom and freedom of expression, and a vocal critic of then-President Yahya Jammeh. In 2004, after announcing his intentions to challenge newly passed legislation targeting press and speech through judicial means, he was assassinated by unknown assailants in Banjul; the murder was left unsolved for years, with international organizations demanding proper ascertainment and justice. Jammeh made little to no effort to assuage the public's anger.

The Gambia Press Union criticized the national government and ran their statements through The Point and Foroyaa. In response, the Jammeh government arrested six of the journalists at these papers, including Pap Saine; they were sentenced to two years of imprisonment in 2009 and fined over $5,000.

In 2014, a court of ECOWAS ruled in favor of the family, who had filed suit against the government for negligence, and ordered restitution; Jammeh's administration ignored the ruling. Adama Barrow replaced Jammeh as the next president, and since then there was some progress: arrest warrants were issued for two army officers as suspects in 2017, and later a TRRC heard testimonies that Jammeh was implicated in the murder, though he has not been indicted.