By Nelson Manneh
On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, Magistrate Thomas Touray of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court granted bail to twenty-three protesters arrested in connection with demonstrations against the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).
The decision followed an initial hearing on August 25, when the same magistrate remanded the protesters at Mile 2 Central Prison, scheduling the next hearing for September 4. The twenty-three youths, charged with “Control of Procession” under Section 5(5) of the Public Order Act, pleaded not guilty.
Bail was set at D50,000 for each protester, with the option of securing it through a Gambian surety, a biometric ID card, or a passport. Magistrate Touray reportedly instructed that the accused refrain from participating in any unlawful gatherings while the case is pending.
The arrests stemmed from protests on August 23, following PURA’s announcement of a mandatory data price floor that significantly increased mobile internet costs. The police declared the protests unlawful because they were held without a permit. During the initial appearance on August 25, the twenty-three protesters were denied bail, a decision that sparked unrest outside the courtroom.
The bail application was brought forward to August 27 after a defense motion was granted with the consent of the magistrate and prosecution. Counsel Junkung Jobarteh, representing the defense, explained that the motion sought “to abridge the adjourned date by bringing it forward from the 4th of September 2025 to the 27th August 2025 and for the Honorable Court to deliver its ruling on the bail application of the accused persons and any further or other Order as the Court may deem fit.”
The motion was supported by an affidavit sworn by a Gambian resident of Latrikunda German, Kanifing Municipality. Counsel Jobarteh urged the court to grant bail “for the interest of justice as all the accused persons are Gambians and believed to be between the age of twenty and forty-five.”
“It is our belief that this court, like any other court, has the discretion to deliver a ruling in court or defer it to another day, but the offence levied on the accused persons is a bailable offence. The accused persons remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison have health-related concerns that may not match the current conditions of the prison. Therefore, we believe shortening the date for delivering the ruling will remedy health concerns,” he stated.
Assistant Superintendent A. Manga, representing the Inspector General of Police, said: “We are not objecting to the motion moved by the defense, we are not opposing for the court to grant the accused persons bail in the manner the court feels it necessary. We leave everything for the court to decide.”
Following submissions from both sides, Magistrate Touray granted bail under the conditions requested by the defense. The case was adjourned to Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 12:30 p.m.
Reports indicated that twenty-one additional individuals were arrested by the Gambia Police Force on August 25 while obstructing officers tasked with transporting the remanded protesters to Mile 2 Central Prison. Those arrested were later released by the police.
The initial protests involved a peaceful demonstration on August 22 at the PURA headquarters on Kairaba Avenue, protesting the authority’s new directives on internet pricing.
