ACHPR to Investigate Gambia Press Union's Concerns Over Press Freedom
ACHPR Chairperson Hon. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu © Askanwi
By Edward Francis Dalliah
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) has announced it will investigate concerns raised by the Gambia Press Union (GPU) on press freedom and freedom of expression in the country.
The announcement was issued at a press conference on Wednesday, 6th November 2024, following the conclusion of the 81st Ordinary Session. The Vice Chairperson of the Commission Hon Janet Ramatoulie Sallah Njie made the revelation while responding to a question from our reporter regarding the GPU's statement delivered at the session.
In her response, Hon Njie explained that the Commission through its Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, is responsible for reviewing complaints related to press freedom. She went on to highlight that if allegations are made against a state, the Commission investigates the claims and engages with the government to verify the facts.
In addition, she outlined the possible mechanisms the Commission may use to address the issue which include the “issuance of a press statement, sending a letter of urgent appeal to the state, or engaging in dialogue to verify the facts and also to investigate to ensure accountability”.
Based on the 2023 State of Human Rights Report issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), “between 1st August to 15th October 2023, five instances of arrests involving journalists, political figures and human rights activists took place”. The report highlights that “on 29th September 2023, while President Barrow was opening his National People’s Party (NPP) bureau in Bansang, made sweeping remarks against the media, freedom of expression in the country, and the main opposition party [UDP]”.
His remarks according to the document “decried what he termed as ‘abuse of democracy’ and irresponsible expression of opinion on certain media platforms by mainly critics of his government”. The report also stated that the President pronounced that “he would direct the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to arrest and detain persons who want to burn down the country and to rearrest anyone granted bail by the Courts”.
The GPU in its statement raised concerns on the attack on press freedom and freedom of expression including “restrictive media laws, economic challenges such as high taxes, and the lack of subsidies for media organizations” prompted a decline in the Gambia's global ranking on press freedom. Based on the statement, the 2023 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Global Press Freedom Index ranked the country 5th in Africa and 46th globally on press freedom. However, in the 2024 index, the country fell 12 places to 58th globally and dropped 5 spots to 10th in Africa.
In addition to the drop in rankings, the GPU has expressed concern about an increase in civil defamation suits filed against journalists and media outlets in 2023 and 2024. Specifically, the Union pointed to ongoing defamation cases involving President Adama Barrow and Minister of Environment Rohey John Manjang against The Voice Newspaper and The Alkamba Times. The statement highlighted that these legal threats are part of a broader trend of attempts to intimidate the press and restrict freedom of expression in the country.
In a positive development, the defamation case filed by President Adama Barrow against The Voice Newspaper and its Editor-in-Chief, Musa Sheriff, is set to be dropped. A statement from the Ministry of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, released on 4th November 2024, confirmed that President Barrow has agreed to drop the lawsuit after a meeting with representatives from the Gambia Press Union, the Media Council, the Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Women Journalists Association.
However, it remains uncertain whether the defamation suit filed by Minister Rohey John Manjang against The Alkamba Times reporter, Kebba Ansu Manneh, will be dropped as well.
