The Gambia Press Union urges states officials to take up their complaints through the country's self-regulatory mechanism, instead of resorting to financially crippling litigation against media outlets.
This statement was originally published on gpu.gm on 25 October 2024.
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is deeply concerned by the country’s press freedom situation after the Gambian president and his environment minister decided to sue two newspapers for defamation.
President Adama Barrow’s suit against The Voice, a privately-owned daily newspaper, stems from a September 23rd story, which claims President Barrow has chosen a successor as part of an exit plan.
The case was called before the Kanifing High Court today (October 25, 2024) before it was adjourned till November 22, 2024 and Musa Sheriff, the Editor-In-Chief, and The Voice newspaper given 30 days within which to file their defence.
Similarly, the Minister of Environment, Rohey John Manjang, has filed a defamation suit against reporter Kebba Ansu Manneh and The Alkamba Times claiming damages of up to D50 million ($725, 479 at today’s exchange rate). The case will be mentioned at the High Court in Banjul on November 12, 2024.
The Environment Minister’s suit against the reporter and the online news platform stems from a June 19, 2024 news story which alleges that she is involved in illegal transaction of seized logs.
“We are concerned as a Union because these suits brought against two journalists and two media houses have the chilling effect of undermining press freedom and freedom of expression,” GPU President, Muhammed S. Bah, said. “We therefore urge President Barrow and the Minister of Environment to drop all legal proceedings against the journalists and media houses.”
The GPU is deeply concerned by both the huge financial implications, and the potential of these cases to force journalists and media houses in The Gambia into self-censorship, and therefore significantly limit their ability to effectively carry out their constitutional mandate of holding the government and public officials to account.
“These defamation suits, plus the ongoing criminal trial of Musa Sheriff and Momodou Justice Darboe of The Voice newspaper on false publication charges will significantly reverse gains made by The Gambia in the last few years in terms of press freedom,” GPU Secretary General, Modou S. Joof, said.
“We call on the aggrieved parties, President Barrow and Minister Manjang, to drop the suits and seek redress at the Media Council of The Gambia – an independent self-regulatory mechanism for the Gambian media – with all parties agreeing to the outcome in order to safeguard press freedom,” Joof said.
The Media Council of The Gambia (MCG), established by the GPU, is an independent self-regulatory mechanism for addressing public complaints against the conduct of journalists – a mandate it has carried out successfully since 2020.
It is governed by an 11-member Governing Council, comprising representatives from the government, media, civil society, and the private sector. The Governing Council has a dual role of exercising oversight over Secretariat and serves as an Appeal Panel.
The MCG mediates complaints raised by individuals and organisations against the media, building the ethical capacity of media practitioners, and mitigating conflict that might arise between the media and its stakeholders – through the Ethics Panel which presides over public complaints against the media.
