By Alieu Jallow
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of protesters detained by the Gambia Police Force on August 22.
The rights group said the arrests were unlawful, stressing that the individuals were only exercising their constitutional right to peacefully protest the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA) decision to impose a data price floor.
With most of the detainees refusing conditional bail, EFSCRJ equally rejected the conditional bail terms offered to the protesters, describing them as “political prisoners” whose only act was speaking out against a policy that affects the livelihoods of ordinary Gambians.
“There is no law that requires a permit for a public assembly which does not involve a procession or the use of a loudspeaker, as was the case on August 22,” the organisation said in a statement.
The rights body warned that criminalising dissent undermines democracy, violates the 1997 Constitution, and goes against The Gambia’s international human rights commitments. It urged the police to uphold professionalism, fairness, and accountability rather than being used as a tool to suppress citizens’ voices.
“Democracy thrives and peace prevails when citizens are free to assemble, express opinions, and hold leaders and institutions accountable without fear of repression,” the statement added.
EFSCRJ reaffirmed its commitment to resist any form of democratic backsliding, recalling the 2016 transition that promised “never again” to abuses of power and violations of rights.
Police said the August 22 protest groups did not have a police permit and therefore was unlawful.
