OP

Amnesty international, have urged the government of President Adama Barrow to drop all charges against journalists Musa Sheriff and Momodou Darboe. The human rights watchdog wrote on x formerly Twitter. “We are concerned about the continuous use of vague criminal legal provisions to stifle freedom of expression, and call on the government to drop all charges against the journalists Musa Sheriff and Momodou Darboe, and to release Musa Sheriff.” according to the release. On 30 September Musa Sheriff, a journalist of The Voice Newspaper was detained and charged with false publication and broadcasting for an article discussing president Barrow’s potential pick as a successor. His colleague Momodou Darboe received the same charge.

     The Editor-In-Chief of The Voice Newspaper, Musa Sheriff, has been charged with "false publication and broadcasting" after he reported to the police this morning. He is detained. Sheriff, who was interrogated last Thursday (Sept. 26) over a September 23rd story which claims President Barrow has chosen a successor as part of an exit plan, was asked to report to the police today (Monday). He was arrested and detained upon arrival at the Police Headquarters in Banjul.  The deputy editor of The Voice, Momodou Justice Darboe, who was also interrogated last Thursday, was arrested, detained and charged with false publication and broadcasting. He was released on bail on Saturday (Sept. 28).  The Gambian President, Adama Barrow, had earlier threatened a [civil] defamation suit against The Voice Newspaper, according to reports quoting his lawyer on Sept. 25, before the police intervened and turned the matter into a criminal case. "We maintain that the journalists have not vio

     As part of their efforts to enhance the education of girl children, Shine Lights In Girls Education with support from their German counterparts on Sunday made a presentation of school materials to 72 girls across four regions in the Gambia, namely: Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region, Lower River Region, and Central River Region. The ceremony which was held at the Governor's Office in Brikama is the fifth edition of the annual gift which began in 2019 with only six girls. Presiding over the ceremony, the president of the organization, Mr Ebrima Fadera emphasized the need for the beneficiaries to perform satisfactorily in school noting that girls could drop out of the sponsorship package if they're for poor academic performance. " It is not our responsibility for girls to learn, that is the responsibility of parents" He added that the Organisation is donating school materials to empower girls but parents have a role to make good use of the opportunity to ensu

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of Momodou Justice Darboe, the Deputy Editor of The Voice Newspaper over a September 23 rd story which claims President Barrow has chosen a successor as part of an exit plan. Darboe and Musa Sheriff Hydara, the paper’s Editor-In-Chief, were called for questioning at the Police Headquarters in Banjul on Thursday September 26 and grilled separately for more than two hours, just a day after President Adama Barrow threatened the newspaper with a defamation suit.  The story in question, reviewed by the GPU, does not carry any defamatory statements. It upholds the principles of balance and fairness in news reporting as provided for in the Cherno Jollow Charter of Ethics for Journalists (the code of conduct for Gambian journalists) and had provided space to two senior officials of the President’s party, the National People’s Party, to reply to the claims. The paper also carried a story on September 24 in which the ruli

The ongoing Bell Football Tournament is approaching its climax as the Black Star FC and Tungina FC won semifinal matches. Alfusainey Sillah of Tungina FC scored the lone goal of the first semifinal match between Tungina FC and NEMA FC in the 12th minute of the game. NEMA FC was unfortunate to equalize, and the match ended 1-0 in favor of Tungina FC. The second encounter was between Black Star FC and Sitako Academy. There were no goals during the full-time but the Back Star FC qualified for the finals following a 5-5 penalty shout-out. Therefore, Tungina FC and Sitako Academy will lock horns at the finals at a date yet to be determined. NEMA FC and Sitako Academy were the best losers of the tournament A cross-section of the community of Kombo East witnessed the semifinals amidst an ambiance from spectators.  All matches were played at the Kuloro Football Grounds on Tuesday the 24th of September,2024.

  The Gambia Environmental Alliance (GEA) commended the recent decision by the  Government of The Gambia to uphold the protection of Abuko Nature Reserve, as  confirmed in a clarification from the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government, and  Religious Affairs. The government has made it clear that no part of the reserve will be  de-reserved for any development project, demonstrating a strong commitment to  environmental preservation. “We applaud the government's stance on safeguarding this crucial ecological site.  Abuko Nature Reserve plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, regulating the  local climate, and serving as a key floodplain. The decision to keep the reserve intact  aligns with The Gambia's national conservation laws and international environmental  commitments.” the release said. GEA called on the government to take all necessary step in restoring Abuko Nature  Reserve to its full vitality.  “We recommend the following. Rehabilitation of the Reserve: Invest

The trial of alleged jungler Micheal Sang Correa originally scheduled to start on Monday, September 16th, 2024, in the US Court District Court in Denver, Colorado, in the U.S.A. has been postponed after one of the requests made by Correa’s lawyer to the court was approved. Last week, Michael Correa’s lawyers explained to the court that they intended to present testimony from two witnesses that will show that he (Correa) was forced to commit the acts of torture he is accused of carrying out. However, according to Correa, Jeng and Hydara refused to travel to the United States to testify unless the U.S. government provided them with immunity from prosecution. The United States declined to offer them immunity.  Correa then asked the judge to dismiss the case against him, arguing that the government was not helping these witnesses to attend. On September 10, the court denied the request to dismiss the charges against him.  Correa then asked the court to delay the trial to allow his lawyer t