The Government on Tuesday announced it has dropped criminal charges against nine members of the Three years Jotna Movement, who were charged with Unlawful Assembly, Ritoting after proclamation and Rioters Demolishing Structures.
The accused persons in the case were; Abdou Njie, the chairman of the movement, Ebrima Kitim Jarju, Sheriffo Sonko, Hagi Suwaneh (the spokesperson), Fanta Mballow, Karim Touray, Lawyer Yankuba Darboe (alias Yanks Darboe) and Muctarr Ceesay.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Justice said the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has taken the decision after careful consideration to put a halt on the criminal proceedings against the accused persons charged with various offences under the criminal code in respect of activities arising from the incident of the 26th day of January 2020 popularly called the ‘three years jotna’.
The statement added: “Whilst the Honourable Attorney General is under no obligation to state the reason or reasons for his action, the Honourable Attorney General wishes to state that this humanitarian gesture, taken after consultation with the President and within the Ramadan spirit, is predicated on promoting peace and reconciliation among all stakeholders in the political process as we approach the upcoming elections in December this year.”
“The Honourable Attorney General would like to seize this opportunity to urge all citizens and residents of The Gambia to be law abiding and to avail themselves of the legal means and mechanisms in place for the redress of grievances.”
