By Omar Bah
Amnesty International has expressed concern about the continuous use of vague criminal legal provisions to stifle freedom of expression in The Gambia and called on the Gambia government to drop all charges against journalists Musa Sheriff and Momodou Justice Darboe.
The two were arrested for reporting that the president plans to quit, as President Barrow tells UN conference Gambia is a bastion of press freedom.
Momodou Darboe wrote an article published Monday in The Voice newspaper claiming that President Adama Barrow was “working on an exit plan” ahead of the 2026 election.
The article’s headline claimed that Barrow had chosen businessman Muhammed Jah as his “successor”.
Lawyers for the president swiftly threatened legal action against the newspaper, calling the claims “defamatory” and “completely outrageous and untrue.”
Police on Thursday arrested Darboe and the newspaper’s editor, Musa Sheriff.
The two have since been charged with false publication and broadcasting.
The charges stemmed from an article “which allegedly contains misleading information intended to cause public alarm”, the police said.
According to Amnesty “The Gambia Police Force assures the public that freedom of the press is respected but emphasised the importance of responsible journalism in maintaining public order”.
