Two Gambian journalists were briefly detained and a third reportedly manhandled by police on Thursday while covering a peaceful protest in the capital, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in the West African nation.
The protest, organized by an activist group calling itself Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), followed a recent investigative report by The Republic that questioned the handling of assets linked to former president Yahya Jammeh. The article, published on April 30 and titled “The Assets of Gambia’s Former Dictator Go for a Song,” alleged corruption, conflicts of interest, and a lack of transparency in the sale of Jammeh’s confiscated properties.
Sheriff Conteh of In-depth Media and Alieu Ceesay of Alkamba Times were arrested while filming the demonstration in downtown Banjul. Matarr Jassey of The Fatu Network narrowly avoided arrest after what the network described as a physical confrontation with security forces.
“Jassey was grabbed by the collar as the officer attempted to drag him into a security vehicle,” The Fatu Network reported. The incident was reportedly defused after fellow journalists intervened.
“I was just doing my job filming the protest, and beyond that, I did nothing that should have warranted such actions,” Jassey told The Fatu Network.
The Gambia Press Union (GPU), the national journalists’ advocacy body, condemned the arrests and called for restraint from law enforcement.
“While we urge journalists to prioritise their safety in covering protests, we would also like to urge the authorities to be more tolerant and safeguard the right to freedom of expression,” said Isatou Keita, the GPU’s president.
Conteh and Ceesay were released shortly after their arrest, reportedly following the intervention of colleagues from other media houses.
GPU Secretary General Modou S. Joof urged the police to exercise greater restraint. “The GPU urges the police to refrain from any acts of violence or intimidation of journalists in the course of their work, including when covering peaceful protests,” he said.
The incident is the latest in a series of tensions between security forces and members of the media in The Gambia, where reforms to protect freedom of expression are still underway in the wake of two decades of authoritarian rule.
