By Amadou Jadama
On his return to a rousing welcome from the United States Monday night, the leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party Ousainu Darboe took time to address his supporters on national issues.
He started by calling on the Inspector General of Police Seedy Touray, not to be used by President Adama Barrow to weaponise the police force, citing the case of journalists Musa Sheriff and Momodou Justice Darboe of The Voice who are currently being prosecuted for false publication.
The UDP leader said Gambians will not allow anybody to go against journalists as had been done by former President Yahya Jammeh. “I want to call on you, IGP Seedy Touray and advise you to withdraw this case. What Gambians are saying is that you are fighting the battle of the NPP for your in-law, President Barrow, because you are married to his sister. You cannot weaponise the police for another person’s political interest but unfortunately that is exactly what you are doing. Why didn’t you leave your brother- in law to take a civil suit as he had threatened?” Darboe said.
Mr Darboe said all over the world people are advocating for two term limits “so how can merely saying that the president wants only two terms be defamatory.”
He continued: “I want to assure Musa Sheriff and his colleagues that we are standing by them and we will support them in any way possible. We may not appear for them in court, but we will support any lawyer they hire. The journalists must not apologise because they have not committed anything against the law”.
Darboe said if The Voice Newspaper apologises, that would give excuses to the government to start arresting and detaining journalists.
He said Barrow should be ashamed to stand at the UN summit claiming that there are no political and journalist prisoners in the country. “To be a prisoner that does not meant to be in Mile 2. Once you detain someone at police headquarters that person is a prisoner because he is not at liberty. In fact, we have seen how journalists have been maltreated with some media houses’ living taken by terminating their contracts because they are termed as an opposition platform. So, that statement is not accurate,” Darboe said.
