NGO, Article 19, wants charges against Gambian activist dropped
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) – The London-based International free expression body, Article 19 on Friday called on Gambian authorities “to immediately drop charges of false information and broadcasting” against a leading human rights activist, Madi Jobarteh, and commit to repeal all laws that restrict the rights to freedom of expression.
“These controversial legal provisions were used by the old regime to silence opposition and crackdown on dissident voices,” Fatou Jagne Senghore, Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 West Africa, said in a press statement.
“In the new Gambia, human rights defenders and journalists should no longer be arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression and sharing publicly their opinions on matters of public interest.”
The call followed the unfolding problem between members of the Gambia Police Force who detained Mr. Jobarteh and later slammed “false publication and broadcasting” charges against him.
Further calls were made for the state to desist from using the same Jammeh-era repressive laws to stifle freedom of expression and association or media freedom.
According to the international rights body, during the "Black lives Matter" demonstration in Banjul in front of the US Embassy on 27 June 2020, Mr. Jobarteh granted interview in which he denounced the lack of effective investigation by the government of the Gambia into the deaths of Haruna Jatta, Ousman Darboe and Kebba Secka, three citizens who were allegedly killed by security officials between June 2017 and July 2019.
Jobarteh was thereafter detained by the police and later released on bail, but his case was directed to the prosecutor’s office at Kanifing, where he is due to report on Monday, 13 July, 2020. If found guilty, Jobarteh could face up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine.
“During the examination of The Gambia’s human rights record in 2019, the government confirmed to the United Nations it will protect and fulfill freedom of expression. Now is the time to demonstrate this by bringing all the laws the old regime used to stifle free speech in line with The Gambia’s international human rights obligations,” remarked Fatou Senghore.
“The government should also inform citizens what progress it has made in investigating these condemnable deaths and ensure that the suspected perpetrators are brought to justice.”
PANA recalled that Mr. Jobarteh, an activist and one of the leading critical voices in the Gambia, was “invited” by officers stationed at Kairaba Police Station in Gambia’s commercial city of Serre Kunda last Tuesday where he was questioned and asked to write a statement before being charged.
According to him, he was subjected to questioning by deputy police commissioner Pateh Bah on remarks he made against the way and manner the Barrow Government handled a number of murder cases that occurred recently.
-0- PANA MLJ/VAO 10July2020
