By Omar Bah
The police have informed activist Madi Jobarteh that his file has been sent to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice, and once they get a response, he will be notified.
Jobarteh was earlier this month charged with seditious intention, incitement to violence, and false publication and broadcasting. He has since described the charges as politically-motivated.
Confirming the news shortly after leaving the police, Madi Jobarteh wrote: “I just left the police headquarters after reporting on bail once again this morning. The police said my file was sent to the Attorney General’s office for advice. I was asked not to report again until the file returned with advice. But my previous bail conditions remain. My phones remained seized by the police.”
Speaking to The Standard on the development from his base in the United States, activist Pa Samba Jow said: “The charges against Mr Jobarteh can only be for two things: the elaborate effort by the Barrow government to muzzle him and, by extension, all Gambians who dare to criticize the government. I am of the fervent belief that the charges are politically motivated.”
He said the government is not interested in justice because, if it is, Madi Jobarteh would be the last person to be charged with “this obnoxious charge of sedition”.
“Madi Jobarteh is one of the most constitution-compliant Gambians, and if every Gambian, including the government, had as much respect for the constitution as he does, we would be living in the most democratic country ever. The president cannot have it both ways. He cannot be angry when Gambians claim dictatorship, yet his government continues to employ the Jammeh tactics of hiding behind obnoxious and anti-democracy laws, such as sedition, to go after critics. The treatment of Madi is a classic case of abuse and therefore a black eye to the democracy we are trying to nurture,” he said.
Jow added that every genuine Gambian should be worried because “today is Madi, just like it was Dr Ceesay before him and many others.
“With this trend, we are entering a very slippery slope that can lead us to where violations of rights will be an acceptable norm. I, therefore, urge the Attorney General and his Ministry to do the needful in the interest of democracy, rule of law, and justice and to drop all these ridiculous charges against Madi with an apology. The bullying must stop, and democracy must be given a chance to flourish,” he concluded.
Also commenting, a prominent Gambian pro-democracy activist, Jeggan Grey-Johnson, said its apparent that the Yahya Jammeh syndrome of an allergic reaction to truth and objective criticism has now settled in Barrow’s political DNA.
“Instead of focusing on reforms (now seldom mentioned) he and his cabal are hellbent on impunity is what is at play. Madi is being persecuted for his views. And it is also a dictatorships playbook of intimidation and weaponisation of the state to instil weakness and silence for actions they do to continue to misrule without questions being asked. But the problem in Gambia is not Barrow alone. It’s the overall lack of principled, committed and invested leadership in our political trajectory. This is not about Madi. It’s about all of us,” he concluded.
