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Gambia News : Media rights group condemns charges against Gambian editor

"Journalists in The Gambia continue to work in a very hostile environment due to the repressive nature of the Government" said Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa Office. "Over the past decade, the government has orchestrated a systematic pattern of harassment against journalists and caused many journalists to flee the country. Arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists have become common place while there is evidence of torture being used against journalists in detention."

Quoting reeports from The Gambia, an IFJ press release said Pap Saine was arrested in the afternoon on Monday 2 February and detained for eight hours before being released on bail. His arrest followed the publication in The Point of a story about a Gambian diplomat who had been arrested by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

The article said the diplomat was moved from the NIA headquarters in Banjul to the main prison outside the capital. The authorities are however contesting this statement, insisting that the diplomat is still detained at the NIA headquarters, and using this as the basis of the charges.

“The IFJ is calling for these charges to be dropped and the journalist fully exonerated.

"These charges just prove the shocking abuse of the justice system by the Gambian authorities," added Baglo.