Fajara, 8 May, 2025 – The Gambia Press Union (GPU) notes with concerns the arrest of two journalists and an attempt to arrest a third while they were covering a protest organised by a group of activists known as Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA).
The journalists, Sheriff Conteh of In-depth Media, Alieu Ceesay of Alkamba Times, were arrested in Banjul on Thursday as they cover the peaceful protest, organised in response to the publication of a story titled “The Assets of Gambia’s Former Dictator go for a Song” by The Republic on April 30. Matarr Jassey of The Fatu Network was rough handled by the police who didn’t end up taking him into custody.
The Republic’s story raised a number of concerns including alleged lack of transparency, corruption and conflict of interest in the sale of the assets of the former president Yahya Jammeh.
The Fatou Network (TFN) stated that “Jassey was grabbed by the collar as the officer attempted to drag him into a security vehicle, intending to take him to the station.”
“I was just doing my job filming the protest, and beyond that, I did nothing that should have warranted such actions,” Jassey told TFN. His colleagues in the media had to intervene, preventing the security forces from taking him away, according to TFN.
“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,” GPU President, Isatou Keita, said.
The two other journalists, Conteh and Ceesay, were also released shortly after their arrest with the intervention of colleagues from other media houses.
“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,” GPU Secretary General, Modou S. Joof, said.
