New dawn for Gambia as president discusses free expression
The Media Foundation for West Africa met with Gambian President Adama Barrow to discuss press freedom and impunity for crimes against journalists under the Jammeh regime.
Media freedom group to address impunity, censorship in mission to The Gambia
The unexpected defeat of Yahya Jammeh in the 2016 elections and the subsequent assumption of power of President Adama Barrow opens a window of opportunity for press freedom, freedom of expression and media development.
Gambia’s new president urged to release political prisoners, protect free speech
Mindful of the repressive freedom of expression conditions in The Gambia under the rule of Yahya Jammeh, the MFWA calls on President Barrow to undertake reforms that will promote and defend the rights of the Gambian people to freely express themselves.
Dissenters worry as Gambia presidency set to change
The state of emergency declared by outgoing President Jammeh raises fears of further repression against opposition ahead of the January 19 inauguration of a new president.
Dissenters worry as Gambia presidency set to change
The state of emergency declared by outgoing President Jammeh raises fears of further repression against opposition ahead of the January 19 inauguration of a new president.
Opposition sympathizers arrested for wearing #Gambiahasdecided shirts
The government of President Yahya Jammeh, defeated in Gambia’s December presidential election, has arbitrarily arrested opposition sympathizers and closed three independent radio stations in the past week.
12 years on: No justice for murdered Gambian journalist Deyda Hydara
After Deyda Hydara’s murder in 2004, the state opened an investigation which was closed in less than a month. No arrests were made and no one was held responsible for the murder.
Government blocks Internet, international phone calls as Gambia goes to the polls
Internet shutdowns and communication blockages contravene international laws and infringe on the rights of citizens to freely express themselves and access critical information.
Gambian journalist and torture survivor Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay sentenced to prison in absentia
A High Court in The Gambia has sentenced exiled journalist and manager of Taranga FM, Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay, to a total of four years imprisonment.
Hold Gambia accountable: 36 West African civil society groups petition ECOWAS
The Media Foundation for West Africa and other 35 civil society organisations have petitioned ECOWAS over The Gambia’s continued refusal to comply with judgments on rights violations against three journalists.
Gambia’s ICC withdrawal threatens human rights
A nation that often deprives citizens of basic civil liberties has just removed a major mechanism of protection.
A new dawn for free expression: Country profile of The Gambia
The smallest and most densely populated country on the African continent, the Gambia is a popular tourist destination. Yet, until recently, beneath the idyllic surface there was a dark undercurrent where paramilitaries preyed on those who spoke out against former President Yahya Jammeh, killing, torturing and disappearing journalists and opposition activists. The election of a new government, one that has pledged to end violations and to bring justice to victims, brings hope for the hard fought for establishment of democracy.
Chief Ebrima Manneh: Remembering the disappeared
On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the MFWA remembers a disappeared Gambian journalist.
22 years of Jammeh
What’s it really like to live 22 years under the shadow of a president responsible for a growing list of human rights violations?
Nineteen people jailed for demonstrating without a permit in The Gambia
The convicted persons were arrested on April 16 following the arrest of and death in custody of senior UDP member Solo Sandeng. Sandeng and over a dozen others were arrested on April 14 while protesting for electoral reforms in The Gambia.
Two years on, Gambia yet to comply with ECOWAS Court ruling on murder of Deyda Hydara
Today June 10, 2016, marks two years after the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice found that the Gambian government failed to conduct a proper investigation into the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara.