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Claim: Since 2017 to date, no politician, Human rights activist, or journalist has been jailed in The Gambia, said Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia.
Verdict: False! Checks by DUBAWA indicate that several journalists, human rights activists, and politicians have been arrested, charged and detained in the country since 2017.
Full Text
Gambian President, Adama Barrow claimed at the 79th UN General Assembly that there had been no jailing of political prisoners, including human rights defenders and journalists, in the country since 2017.
“I am happy to report that, since 2017, The Gambia has neither recorded a single political prisoner nor has any journalist or human rights activist been jailed,” he stated during his UNGA speech delivered on Thursday, Sept. 26 2024 at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.
The video of this speech can be found on YouTube here. President Barrow’s claim can be heard around 10:43 to 10:58 of the video.
This part of the speech by the president has triggered some amount of disquiet in the Gambia, with some criticising the comment as untrue.
The comment has gone viral because the president took over from a dictatorial leader Yahya Jammeh, whose tenure was greeted with lots of human rights abuses, unlawful detentions, unexplained disappearances etc as captured by the Gambia Truth Commission.
So is it true that the Gambia has not witnessed any form of arrests, and human rights abuses since 2017?
Verification
To fact-check this claim, DUBAWA used different sources to determine who or what constitutes a political prisoner or detainee.
The Definition of Political Prisoner
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) defines Political Prisoners as follows:
- The detention is solely due to their political, religious, or other beliefs, or non-violent exercise of fundamental freedoms guaranteed by existing International conventions.
- The detention is solely for activities aimed at defending human rights and fundamental human freedom.
- The detention is solely based on gender, race, religion, or other status, or due to their strong connections with communities united on this basis.
Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of a political prisoner/political detainee is someone who is put in prison for expressing disapproval of their government, or for belonging to an organization, race, or social group not approved of by that government or a person who has been officially ordered to stay in a prison or similar place, especially for political reasons.
Based on the above definitions of a political prisoner/detainee, DUBAWA made findings on some of the arrest and detention cases involving political opponents, human rights activists, and journalists that occurred in the Gambia from 2017 to date.
Arrest of Politicians and Human Right Activists
In February 2018, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, a political science lecturer at the University of The Gambia and now Minister of Information, was detained for a day at Police Headquarters in Banjul and then charged with ‘incitement to violence’ for his comments about ECOMIG forces in the Gambia, “saying President Barrow needs to earn the confidence of the armed forces.”
In 2020, executive members of the pressure group ‘3 Years Jotna’ were arrested, detained, and prosecuted for various offences including unlawful assembly, riotous demolishing of buildings, and rioting after the proclamation in connection to the Jan. 26 2020 protest. The group had called for the president to step down and honour the coalition agreement after serving three years.
In September 2023, the then UPD’s Campaign Manager, Momodou Sabally, (now presidential adviser), and Nominated Councilor for Transportation at Brikama Area Council, Sheriffo Baiyo Sonko, were detained and charged at the police headquarters in Banjul.
Sabally’s detention was in connection with a TikTok video in which he said his party would take over the country in the exercise of his political right.
On June 30, 2020, human rights activist Madi Jobarteh was arrested, detained, and charged with false information and broadcasting.
Again in November 2023, Jobarteh was arrested and charged with seditious intention.
His arrests in 2020 and 2023 followed comments he made critical of the police and the president respectively.
However, he has not been prosecuted on any of the charges against him since.
Journalists Arrested and Detained Between 2017 to September 2024
DUBAWA looked further into some of the arrests and detentions of journalists from 2017 to date.
On Jan. 26, 2020, journalist Pa Modou Bojang, the Manager of Home Digital FM, Gibbi Jallow and Ebrima Jallow, Managers of King FM were arrested and charged with “inciting violence” while their radio stations were closed after covering protesters calling on President Barrow to step down and honour the 2016 coalition agreement to serve only three years.
On Jan. 28, 2020 Pa Modou Bojang, Home Digital FM Gibbi Jallow, Ebrima Jallow, and Maidou Jallow of King FM were released.
They spent two nights incommunicado without access to family or legal representation at various police stations.
On July 5, 2022, police officers blocked Yusuf Taylor (Flex Dan), editor of the privately owned Gainako online newspaper, from reporting on a land dispute in Bijilo, in the Gambia’s West Coast Region, and then arrested him and charged him with obstructing police.
On Sept. 20, 2023, Bakary Mankajang, the CEO of the online platform Mangkajang Daily was detained by the Police Anti-Crime Unit for three days in connection with his reporting on a shooting incident that led to the killing of two police officers on Sept. 12.
He was released on bail and charged with ‘Interference with witness’ on Sept. 23, 2023.
On Sept. 26, 2024, Momodou Justice Darboe, a reporter at The Voice Newspaper, was charged with “publication of false news and broadcasting” and detained at the Police Headquarters in Banjul for almost 48 hours.
His detention came just a day after the legal team of President Adama Barrow wrote to the Newspaper, demanding a retraction and public apology or face defamation lawsuits over an article that read; “Barrow Chooses Muhammed Jah As Successor As Pres. Works on Exit Plan-Sources”
Darboe was released on Sept. 28 2024 with a bail bond of D25,000.
Subsequently, The Newspaper Editor-In-Chief Musa Sheriff was also arrested on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, when he reported to the police. He was charged with “false publication and broadcasting” and detained.
The Gambia Press Union has condemned the arrest of the journalists and called on the police to immediately release them and drop the charges.
In the Gambia 2024 State of Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression report, the Gambia Press Union (GPU) documented that:
“Journalists and media workers and human rights defenders have also faced arbitrary arrests by the police, detained incommunicado without access to family or lawyers with whereabouts unknown and in one instance physically assaulted while in custody, and released with or without charges.
Incidences of physical assault on journalists and media professionals perpetrated either by the police or political party militants which occurred since 2017 have never been investigated, and no one is held accountable.”
The Union has recorded a total of six cases involving the arrest and detention of journalists, along with the arbitrary closure of two radio stations from 2017 to date.
Conclusion
Contrary to the president’s claim, the Gambia Press Union has recorded six cases of arrest and detention from 2017 till date.
